Nokia E63 - QWERTY and Eseries go mid-tier

So basically an E71 with a lower MP camera, and a better headphone jack? Can't see the point myself, but it looks quite cheap.

I wanted to mention that E63 does NOT support HSDPA, but only WCDMA with connections up to 384/384 kbps (DL/UL). This version is a ripped down version from E71, which supports HSDPA and has a better 3 Megapixel camera (E63 = 2MP).

I see no mention of GPS there... which is important for me in my next mobile. Is it truly missing?

Thanks for that info. I'll look into the HSDPA stuff, pending specifications from Nokia there seem to be mixed views on whether there is HSDPA or not (seems strange if they haven't as I imagine it would be a software block as a new hardware radio just for this device seems unlikely).

Nemoi - correct it does not have a GPS.

The big point here is the price point. 199 Euro - cheapest S60 ever at launch. The E71 was 350 euro. Even the 5320 was 220 euros.

Nokia deliberately making a fat version so doesn't hurt it's own profile.

I mean with lesser tech why is the E63 much thicker?

I don't see the point of this. The E71 has been out for a while and prices has dropped even lower. By the time the E63 is widely available it will cost more than the E71 initially.

You can get the E71 free on ~�20/month on contract and can get them sim free for about �200.

6 months later the E63 will probably cost less but then this it's very old news and people will be looking elsewhere.

Fat version - the extra thickness is down to the material used. Plastics generally need extra room over metals... but yes there may some artifice in it. It still quite thin compared to similar phones though.

The E71 currently retails for �330 in the Nokia UK Shop. The average price of Google shopping search is �280. Back of the envelope calculations suggest the E63 will be �200. Yes you can get the E71 for cheaper (especially via grey import and currencies fluctations) but the same will apply to the E63. i.e. I think the E63 will be substantially cheaper.

I also think the E63 will have a shelf life much longer than 6 months and I wouldn't under estimate the colour variation either.

But yes for technology leaders / early adopter there isn't a much interest, but that's typical for mid tier phones.

I really dont understand the camera. If they are lowering it to 2mp, why not get rid of it altogether?

I know that many businesses/companies have a requirement for phones without cameras.

This being a cheaper business series phone, wouldnt that be a very good idea with the E71 being able to take up the slack?

It would also reduce the cost even more.

The camera module probably only costs a handful of dollars so I'm not sure how much impact it would have on the price. It would also lessen the consumer appeal... S60 users may turn up thier noses at a 2 megapixel camera, but that's the same as you get on the iPhone / G1 etc etc.

E63 is the relatively cheap E71 with some reduced features, that's not a big problems..., perhaps we still have a good business functionalilty of the newest E-Series

Rafe wrote:The camera module probably only costs a handful of dollars so I'm not sure how much impact it would have on the price. It would also lessen the consumer appeal... S60 users may turn up thier noses at a 2 megapixel camera, but that's the same as you get on the iPhone / G1 etc etc.

But apperently thats what the GPS module costs, in fact I heard it was even less.

Personally, I think a GPS module over a camera would be much better, especially when appealing to businesses.

Unregistered wrote:I wanted to mention that E63 does NOT support HSDPA, but only WCDMA with connections up to 384/384 kbps (DL/UL).

From what I read on the Nokia Europe site, the E63 does have GPS but not HSDPA. (I would provide the link but somehow I don't get through to the E63 page. Anyone else more lucky than me?)

with all the pared down features (and the bigger size) of the E63, over the E71, i still think it's a fairly attractive proposition with its price.

As others have said, the selling point of this is the price, it's very cheap no matter how you look at it. It might not appeal to power users, but I suspect it's aimed more at people like students or workers in small businesses. The bright colours are a bit unusual too, Eseries is now openly going after consumers rather than just business customers.

Also, it's amazing how much prices of S60 devices are going down, it can't be long before we see at least one SIM-free model under the 100 euro barrier.

The software block on hsdpa would be to increase battery life i guess, with the 1500mah and no high speed data, it will go for days.

GDavids wrote:From what I read on the Nokia Europe site, the E63 does have GPS but not HSDPA. (I would provide the link but somehow I don't get through to the E63 page. Anyone else more lucky than me?)

http://www.nokia.co.uk/A41419013

GPS and navigation

Nokia Maps application

If it had integrated GPS, it would say so. I imagine its just got Maps installed, and you can pair a BT GPS reciever to it.

Having Nokia Maps without built-in GPS isn't quite as crazy as it sounds, the phone mast location system gives you a reasonably good idea of where you are. And free street maps are still very useful even without sat nav (especially if you're on foot).

It's not as good as GPS, but the whole point of the E63 is a much cheaper lower-spec alternative to the E71.

There's defintely no GPS. I guess there a balance - personally I use the GPS a lot, but wouldn't trade it for WiFi (VoIP)... plus with a GPS its easy to get a cheap keychain GPS and add the capbility. The same is not true for WiFi / 3G / other hardware.

I suspect leaving it out may be more segmentation than cost based though...

Hi Rafe,

Nice review...

'3G and WiFi connectivity. However specifications show a maximum speed 384 kbps suggest this is vanilla 3G (UTMS), with no HSDPA support.'

Can you or anyone please explain if (and if so how) this will effect the phone speed, internet browsing, messaging etc?

Compared to the E71, how will this specifically effect the operation of the E63 - that will not have HSDPA.

What are the benefits/limitations of having/not having HSDPA support?

Thanks for your help.

Marcus

This woukd make an excellent, excellent companion for students. I think the battery capacity and price point are amazing. A lot of the comments here are failling to see that. Nokia's trying to reach out to another segment of society and that's just great. Let's give credit where credit is due. Kudos Nokia!

Can you or anyone please explain if (and if so how) this will effect the phone speed, internet browsing, messaging etc?
What are the benefits/limitations of having/not having HSDPA support?

For most phone functions there isn't much difference between 3G and 3.5G (HSDPA).

HSDPA (also known as 3.5G) is nothing to do with the speed of the phone itself.

The only thing HSDPA affects is download speed on the internet, for example downloading music files or viewing websites. With HSDPA these will tend to download more quickly, but you will only really notice the difference with very large files. If you're viewing websites you won't notice that much difference, and with text-based internet stuff like e-mail or IM you won't notice any difference at all.

HSDPA can support speeds up to several megabits, while plain 3G can only do speeds up to 0.384 megabits. That means HSDPA can potentially be several times faster.

However, HSDPA only works in geographical areas that support it, if you move outside one of those areas the speed drops back down to 3G or even 2G depending on what network connection is available. HSDPA areas tend to be within cities and other heavily populated areas, in the countryside you will probably only get slower networks.

Also, HSDPA is only for downloads, it doesn't affect upload speeds at all. There's a separate standard for that, HSUPA, but that is still in the early stages and it's quite rare to see it supported on phones. The two standards together are known as HSPA.

This woukd make an excellent, excellent companion for students. I think the battery capacity and price point are amazing.

Yes, I totally agree, it's definitely the right price for students, and it's the right device as it combines both work stuff (good communications, email, qwerty, calendar etc) with leisure stuff (3.5mm audio jack, music player etc) in a way that lets you switch between them instantly.

I could see a lot of parents could be buying their children one of these over Christmas, especially for those who are at university or college.

Guys, which one should i get, a nokia e61i for 200$ canadian or wait for the new nokia e63?

You should certainly wait for E63, I used to own E61i and now Im using a E71.

Along my travels throughout the interwebs I found a full tear down of the E63 an think its worth a look for those considering this phone.

www dot mobile-review dot com

If they respect the �200 price point when this comes to the UK I will be buying one, �200 sim free I hope!

I like the e63 since because of the price mark down compared to the e71.
The 3.5mm audio jack also makes it easier to pair with nicer earpieces.
Pop in a 8mb/16mb micro sd and you've got an almost near replacement for the ipod music player.

the E63 got a GPS. it says in the Nokia site.

Just wanted to correct all those who said the E63 doesn't have GPS...it actually does. It has aGPS, which uses the cellular provider's cell sights for positioning. That means you can use the E63 for navigating, but you will have to use data connection. If you're using Google Maps, which is better than the installed Maps software, you'll need data connection anyway.

And how do I know all this? Because I'm using an E63 and have been using Google Maps and the included Maps software for navigating around Canada and Asia Pacific. 😊

Could someone please post a URL to a web page that offers free download. software is rather limited as the phones resolution is 320x240. ive found it most difficult to get decent applications as most s60 softwares dont work on the phone.