Nokia E72 Review – 3 of 3 – E71 vs E72

Review: Part 1 (Video & Pictures) – Part 2 (Specs & Features) – Part 3 (E71 vs E72)

Hey all,

This is the last part of my review, and I wanted to compare the differences between the E71 and the E72 (see others parts via links above).

The E71 was a great success, good build quality, good specs and worked well, but it wasn’t without it’s flaws, including random key presses when the keypad was locked, annoying to remove battery cover, and other bits and bobs but are mostly fixed on the E72.

Front

The first thing you might notice about the 2 devices, is how Nokia have tweaked, and personally think improve the keyboard layout and functionality. The 4 customizable option keys are now positioned on the outer edge of the device instead of next to the 5-way navigation keys and also the top section above the QWERTY now occupies about 50% more space which makes for easy press and reduces the likelihood of accidentally pressing keys around the one you wanted.

Speaking of the QWERTY keyboard, the spacebar is now half the size and incorporates the activation/deactivation of the Torch as mentioned in part 2 of the review. The reduction of the spacebar has allowed for an extra 2 symbol keys which in theory should reduce the time spent looking though the symbol’s menu!

The face of the device is now a lot more uniform and clean-cut which looks a lot better then the slightly different tones on the front of the E71. Also the silver trim is a single bit of metal and the same thickness all the way around which is an improvement on the 2 pieces of different size metal on the E71.

Back

The back of the device has changed only a bit with the camera getting a metal trim but one thing the E72 is missing is the small mirror on the camera block, but I doubt many people really used, and on a minor note, the camera and LED light have switched positions! In addition to this, the loudspeaker is also now on the back of the device just to the left of the camera.

The battery door has become slightly smaller and the release mechanism for it is now at the bottom. To open it, you just have to slide the tab down, which is a huge improvement on the 2 annoying buttons on each side of the E71.

Under the battery door, you now have a metal tray which you have to slide out to remove the SIM card. The battery is still the same BP-4L but the software and hardware improvements, it means it will last longer in the E72.

Left

Immediately you can see the improvement to the finish on the left side of the E72, with the memory card and USB covers being flush with the side and made from the same plastic as the rest of the device, in contrast to the rubber covers which stuck out slightly and were a slightly different colour because of the differences in material.

The IR input/output has now gone, which makes sense, as again I’m sure no-one that owned an E71 ever used it.

Right

On the right, the volumes keys and the mute/voice function key are now metallic which gives it a nice feel, and the 2.5 headphone jack has gone, to been replaced with a 3.5mm jack at the top of the device.

Top

Speaking of the top of the device, the 3.5mm stereo headphone jack is positioned on the far left where the loudspeaker used to be, and this can be accessed while the device is still in the case.

The power button has improved from that red eye-soar to a sleek metal button in the middle of the device which match the buttons on the right.

Bottom

The base of the device has not changed, as the 2mm charger socket is still in the same place, apart from it being a bit less rounded and the lanyard loop moving a few millimetres closer to the front of the phone if you call that a change!

In Leather Case

The case that you get with the E72 has a full side open instead of the part side/part top opening on the E71 case, and as I explained in Part 1 of this review, this allows access to the headphone socket, USB socket, memory card slot, lanyard loop and 2mm charger socket which are the things you want to be able to access while the phone is in the case.

Internal

Inside the phone, the hardware has been improved in several different ways.

First the internal storage has increased from 110MB to 250MB which means you get more space to install your apps and games, it also reduces your chance of running out of space for messages, etc.

Although the RAM has stayed the same at 128MB which is reasonable for this type of phone, the processor has almost doubled from 369Mhz to 600Mhz allowing it to run a lot smoother, for it to be able to handle more applications at the same time and for it to handle more intense applications if it needs to.

The internet speeds the E72 is able to reach has also over doubled over the network, as HSDPA speeds now can be as high as 10.2 Mbps instead of  3.6 Mbps, but as always, it is dependant on your network and several other factors.

The software on the E72 has been loaded with the latest Symbian 9.3 a.k.a. Series 60 v3.2 operating system, which runs smoother and with less power drain therefore improving the battery life from 4.5 hours talk time over 3G on the E71 to a nice 6 hours on the E72.

For a full technical comparison, head over to the page on GSM Area or on Nokia’s own page.

I hope this review was useful for you, I have tried to cover most the usual things but if I have missed something just let me know in the comments, and do come back for more of the same.

Review: Part 1 (Video & Pictures) – Part 2 (Specs & Features) – Part 3 (E71 vs E72)