Nokia E72 Smartphone

Almost a year after launching the E71, one of the best phones form the

E-series, thanks to its pricing, great feature set and superb performance, Nokia

has released its successor in the form of the E72. The E72 retains the same slim

and sexy form factor as its predecessor. The screen size and resolution stands

the same at 2.36-inch with 320 x 240 pixels. The dimensions and the weight are

also almost identical and so is the use of metal on the back cover of the

device. The backcover attracts a lot of finger prints and requires constant

cleaning. The first major difference however is noticeable in the rounded edges

of the phone, which make the phone look more elegant. Another major difference

is the keypad. The shortcut keys have been moved away from the D-pad, and the

soft keys have a brushed metal finish. The QWERTY keypad has larger keys that

are definitely better than E71. There is now an optical trackpad in the centre

of the D-pad as well. The loudspeaker is placed at the back, right next to the

elevated camera module.  The phone runs on a 600MHz processor, which is a major

upgrade from the 369MHz processor in the E71. RAM is the same at 128MB, though

the internal storage has been increased to 250MB. Further more, the E72 runs on

Symbian OS 9.3 and has WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G with HSDPA 10.2MB/s, GPS, Flash Lite

3.0, remote wipe, as well as Stereo FM.  The display on the E72 is the same in

size and resolution as the E71, but has better contrast. The QWERTY keypad is

comfortable to use, so are the soft keys and D-pad. The phone is great for

typing out e-mails and SMS quickly due to its ergonomic design and hold. The

optical trackpad present in the centre of the D-pad could have been a great

addition, but doesn't work out too well. A lot of times it detects accidental

touches while using the D-pad. Thankfully, there is an option for the trackpad

to be turned off. The phone runs butter smooth, even with 5 - 6 applications

running in the background.

The E72 features a 5MP autofocus camera with a LED flash. The quality of the

images shot is above average during daylight, but indoors there tends to be a

lot of noise. The flash helps in darker areas, doubles up as a torch, but its

still a single LED flash. The video recording is limited to QVGA at 15FPS, which

is a downer. A dedicated shutter click key is still missing on the side and

would have been a welcome addition. The sound output from the phone is just

above average. Thanks to the elevated camera module, the speaker output doesn't

get affected even when the phone is kept flat on a surface.  In terms of

connectivity, everything works great. GPS connected within 30 seconds, WiFi and

Bluetooth worked seamlessly well. The 3.5mm audio out jack is a great addition

than the 2.5mm jack on the E71. It is commendable of Nokia to have implemented

so many upgrades without changing the overall weight and dimension of the phone.

As good the phone is for a new buyer, it does not make sense for an existing E71

user to upgrade to the E72 as the upgrades on the E72 are not extreme

necessities required by a business user. Although, there isn't any competition

to the phone in same price range, the much cheaper Blackberry curve 8520 (Rs

14,000)  would be the ideal suggestion if your priority is just e-mail.