Nokia E72 [Review]

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Nokia E72 [Review]

Prasad Naik, Dec 25, 2009 1257 hrs IST

One of the best non-touchscreen phones money can buy

Great design, incredibly slim, stunning build quality, good audio quality, decent camera, fast interface speed, good web browser, plenty of messaging and connectivity options, 8 GB memory card, great battery life

Optical trackpad implementation could have been better, display feels a bit small, loudspeaker isn't loud enough

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Design & Construction:

It is hard not to mistaken the E72 for its younger sibling. The design is very similar and only a few differences separate the two phones visually. On the top, you see the earpiece with 3G video call camera and ambient light sensor. Below is the same 2.36-inch display as on the E71 and E63. Below the display is the 5 way D-pad and the centre is actually an optical trackpad as found on the BlackBerry Curve 8230. On the side, you see the four shortcut keys which first made an appearance on the E71 and have been part of E-Series phones ever since phones. Above them, you'll find the two soft keys and the call/end keys in the corners. Below these keys is the full QWERTY keypad, which once again is almost identical to the one on the E71, but more on that later.

On the right side of the phone, we can see the volume control keys straddling the key for various voice activated functions. Just like the main keys, these keys are backlit as well. The E72 lacks a camera shutter button as well, like the E71 did. On the left side of the phone are two flaps facing each, one covering the microUSB port (top) and the other the microSD card slot. As mentioned before, the phone comes with an 8 GB card as standard. However, it can take up to 16 GB cards easily.

On the top side of the phone is the power key. Thankfully, on the E72, Nokia did not resort to antics like painting it red, as it did on the E71 and the key is matte silver. Also found is a 3.5mm jack, which was sorely missed on the E71. On the bottom, you can see the charger port for standard Nokia chargers and the lanyard holes, where you can attach the provided wrist strap. The E72 can also charge via USB so it makes you wonder why Nokia has provided the standard charger port (and the corresponding charger).

On the rear side of the phone, you can see the camera lens at the top, with the single LED flash. The camera section juts out of the body a bit because it cannot possibly fit into the otherwise thin body of the E72. Below is the massive battery lid covering an equally massive battery that the phone contains.

The E71 was a great looking phone and the E72 carries that tradition. The black and chrome combo works fantastically and the phone looks stylish and classy without looking too flashy or too boring as well. The highlight of the design is the thickness of the phone, or rather the lack of it. When you consider all the features the phone has and especially the massive battery within, you really can't help wonder and be amazed at how Nokia has managed to hide all that within. No pocket is too thin for the E72 to slide in.

Equally or even more impressive is the build quality of the phone. The E-Series phones have a reputation to feel like they have been carved out of a single block of stone and often make the N-Series phone feel like some cheap Chinese toys in comparison. The E72 is a prime example of that tradition and feels fantastic in your hand. The rigidity and solidity imparted by the handset is incredible and almost makes you feel like throwing the phone around to see how much it can handle. It is based on Nokia's philosophy that business users are known to throw their phones in frustration when things take a downhill turn in their work and hence they need a more durable phone and the E72 is just what the doctor ordered for such people.

The little detailing is also quite nice. Like the brushed metal finish surrounding the D-pad and soft key section or the little brushed metal accents around the earpiece, camera lens, power key and the volume key go a long way in making the phone feel a bit special and like the premium handset that it is. The large metal battery compartment lid feels as lovely as ever and the simple lock switch is effortless to operate and makes you wonder why Nokia doesn't use it on all its phones.

The only flaws with the design were first of all the slight backlight leakage from the edges of the left softkey, which somewhat spoiled the look of the phone in the dark when the keypad was lit. Another thing is that while the design of the E71 found favour with both the sexes, I have a feeling the E72 design will find more favour with the men and women might not take to it as much as they did to the E71. Also, elsewhere the E72 is available in three colours: Zodium Black, Metal Grey, Topaz Brown. But in India the Metal Grey shade is unavailable.

Overall, as far as design or build quality is concerned, the E72 is almost perfect and a good example of not just how a good business phone should be but how any phone should be built.