US$ 271 US$ 199.00

Nokia continues to surprise us with its speed of bringing new phones to the market! The Nokia E63 is a “dumb-ed down” version of the well-acclaimed Nokia E71. Of course no body would think it can actually beat the Nokia E71, but how well does it hold up against its big brother? Let’s find out now.The “I-mean-business” package contains just the phone, a battery, a charger, a handsfree, and a user’s guide. Unsurprisingly, there is no travel charger or an extra battery.

Metallic or plastic? I must say the plastic shell on the Nokia E63 is quite attractive and does add a few scores to the phone. If you must go for a metal shell though, you should choose the Nokia E71.

The buttons on the middle row can take you to all the usual “business features”. From left to right: Home, calendar, contact and messages. The soft keys are a tad too small, so it may take some getting-use-to.

The QWERTY keyboard is quite similar to the one used in Nokia E71. Frankly this keyboard is a love it or hate it type. The keys are so soft that you can keep typing for a long time, but the lack of feedback means you are constantly in doubt of whether you have pressed the key or not! The keys are also completely cramped together, which means typos are inevitable. That said, after some time with the phone I am sure everyone can learn to type with reasonable speed and accuracy – just don’t expect it to perform like a Blackberry.

The back cover is soft with a lot of friction, which should give you a pretty comfortable grip.

The 2MP camera has auto-focus and a flash. Nokia even added a flashlight function to allow you to use it as a torch.

The microSD slot (next to the USB slot) is protected by a hard cover. Since the slots occupy the place for volume control, there is no space for the volume buttons.

At the top of the phone there is a 3.5mm earphone jack (standard type!). I am glad that Nokia can finally see the wisdom of using a standard earphone jack, as opposed to the smaller 2.5mm jack on the Nokia E71.

Similar to the Today screen on the Windows Mobile, you can display unread messages and Calendar on the home screen. The home screen does a poor job of making the best use of the 2.36” screen since there are a lot of unused spaces on the screen, which could be occupied by larger icons and fonts.

Although there is an icon called GPS data, it doesn’t mean that the Nokia E63 has an internal GPS. Fortunately, Nokia Maps is still there to help you pinpoint your location (with the built-in keyboard).

After looking at the price tag, I think most people would agree that the low price of the Nokia E63 justifies the lack of GPS and HSDPA. If you only need it to check email, then the difference between EDGE/GPRS and HSDPA won’t be too significant. Plus you still get all other smartphone features from the Nokia E71. If you just need a business-oriented smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard, you will surely find a lot of merits in the Nokia E63.

 Comparison: Nokia E71 vs E63

Nokia E63

• HSDPA: No
• GPS: No
• Camera: 2MP Auto focus
• Earphone: ack 3.5 mm
• Shell: Plastic
• Dimension: 113 x 59 x 13 mm
• Weight: 126 g

Nokia E71

• HSDPA: Yes
• GPS: Yes
• Camera: 3.2MP Auto focus
• Earphone: 2.5 mm
• Shell: Metallic
• Dimension: 114 x 57 x 10 mm
• Weight: 127 g

Nokia E63 Video Review