If you're looking for a high-end QWERTY powerhouse to cover all your business needs, the Nokia E7 is the smartphone for you. But it's not the only high-profile QWERTY handset touching down this spring: over in the US the HTC Merge has been announced too. So how do they stack up against each other? We take a look after the break.

The HTC Merge has the same side-sliding form factor as the Nokia E7, with a full QWERTY keyboard sliding out from a large touchscreen. It's HTC's response to the N Series flagship, but falls short of the mark in our books. But here are our thoughts in full...

Design

The Nokia E7 may be aimed at business users, but it looks great, with an elegant design and slender slide-out keyboard. HTC may call it keeping faith with a design ethic, but the Merge looks like just about every other HTC Android handset, but with a keyboard tacked onto the side.

Construction

We've said before ourselves that the Nokia E7 is the most solid QWERTY smartphone we've seen to date, and that includes the HTC Merge. Nokia's use of an aluminium shell, a metal hinge and Gorilla glass for the display contribute the kind of build quality that HTC can't match.

Check out our Nokia E7 Hands-On Preview

Android

Nokia doesn't just make the hardware, it provides a full and open ecosystem loaded with dedicated services that come as standard and don't have to be downloaded from someone else's app store. With the HTC Merge the Android operating system comes from Google, and HTC is no more a priority than any number of other hardware makers.

Bigger screen

You may not think it makes a huge difference, but the Nokia E7's 4in display gives it a number of advantages over the 3.8in HTC Merge. It looks better, as we've mentioned, from a form factor point of view, but it also makes for a more spacious QWERTY keyboard, not to mention better video playback and photo viewing.

Great keyboard

No matter who you talk to, the Nokia E7's keyboard is one of its greatest strengths. Well spaced, solidly put together and a comfort to type on, it's a massive plus point considering the business users it's designed for. Pre-launch hands-on reviews of the HTC Merge's keyboard haven't been overly complimentary.

Camera

There's no denying it: Android phones are known for having average cameras, and the HTC Merge's 5-megapixel standard-Android snapper simply doesn't match up to the Nokia E7's 8-megapixel camera with face recognition and a fullscreen 16:9 viewfinder.

HDMI output

You can record 720p video on the HTC Merge, but there's only a USB port should you want to watch it anywhere else but the phone's screen. The Nokia E7 has HDMI output built in, and you get phone-to-HDMI and phone-to-USB adapters in the box, meaning you can plug straight into your HDTV without any hassles.

For us the picture is clear: the Nokia E7 is a far superior phone. But we'd like to hear from other Nokia fans: do you think we're being overly blinkered, or have you got other reasons of your own to add to our list. Let us know in the Comments...