Boy Genius Report outlines the features of the E7, which will be available in the fourth quarter of 2010 for 495 Euros (unsubsidized): "The E7 [...] packs a 4-inch, polarized, AMOLED display that has a 640 x360 resolution. The device has a peta-band WCDMA radio, quad-band GSM radio, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS. Aside from enough radios to cook a chicken, the E7 also features a full-QWERTY slide and tilt keyboard, 16 GB of mass storage, 8 megapixel camera with 720p video recording and dual-LED flash, HMDI connector, and 1200 mAh battery." The smartphone will be running Nokia's Symbian^3 operating system.
Engadget, SlashGear, TechRadar, and IntoMobile have posted their initial reactions to the new smartphone. We've compiled their thoughts (along with pictures of the E7) in the slideshow below.
What do you think of Nokia's new handset? Weigh in below.
"Wow. That's the feeling that hits when you pick up the Nokia E7 for the first time," Engadget writes. Engadget says the screen is "simply gorgeous" and the keyboard is "the best we can remember using on any Nokia," but remarks the sliding handset is "weird" and notes "jury's still out on performance."
Although there are aspects of the smartphone TechRadar praises (such as the E7's large screen and QWERTY keyboard), TechRader's Gareth Beavis says it "seems a little underwhelming." Beavis writes, "Overall, it's hard to work out how we feel about the Nokia E7--it's actually a tech-packed device that adds in a QWERTY keyboard to an attractive chassis, so it should be right up there with the best. But whether it's Nokia's constant failure to deliver a truly industry-leading device or that this the headline phone from an international two day event, we can't help feeling a bit ambivalent towards this E-Series device."
While recognizing that the phone's software is still unfinished, IntoMobile says it "came away with mixed feelings" about the phone. "[F]inal software or not, the E7 is a bit of a confusing device," IntoMobile writes. But what the software lacks is made up for by the "beautiful" hardware. "Nokia has always crafted fantastic hardware, and that’s really not up for debate," says IntoMobile. "The E7 feels like it’s made from a single piece of aluminum – solid, smooth, slick. The slider mechanism — which is actually really more like a “flip” mechanism — is precise and solid. The keyboard is likewise a joy to use. The keys don’t offer too much in the way of contours, but they are spaced perfectly apart and click with just the right amount of feedback."
"First impressions are great," says SlashGear of the E7. "It’s a slightly larger handset than the N8 in all directions, to accommodate not only the keyboard but the 4-inch capacitive touchscreen display, but it’s just as well made. The aluminum chassis is smooth and tactile, and the screen hinge – which is fixed, when open, at the angle you can see in the photos – feels solid and flicks open and shut nicely. The touchscreen, too, is responsive, and we were able to navigate between apps with no noticeable slow-down."