Nokia E7 versus Nokia E72 keyboard comparison (Photo Heavy)

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By Mike Browne on April 8,

2011 at 00:00,

The Nokia E7 is in many ways a natural successor to the Nokia E72 as both offer the business user, or the heavy messenger, a great way to stay in touch. Both smartphones are designed to make the most of their QWERTY keyboard. Here we pitch Nokia E7 versus Nokia E72 in a keyboard comparison, read on to find out more.

There are obvious differences between the Nokia E7 and Nokia E72 that have an impact on the keyboard. The Nokia E7 is a Symbian^3 touchscreen display that has the full QWERTY keyboard tucked away on a neat sliding mechanism. Meanwhile, the Nokia E72 is a Symbian S60 3rd Edition device, so lacks touchscreen. This means the keyboard needs to be a lot more upfront, so you can quickly fire off emails with ease.

Check out our Nokia E7 hardware review

Both come with a four-row full QWERTY layout but as you would expect, the Nokia E7 has larger keys and space around them, which makes typing easier and faster. Many of the keys are replicated on both devices but you'll find on the Nokia E7 that direction keys have been added to the bottom right-hand corner, so you'll find that keys such as ! & and : have been moved to secondary key functions elsewhere on the keyboard.

Numbers on the Nokia E72 are confined to the central keys, which makes it easier to dial a phone number, for example. However, the Nokia E7 follows a more traditional keyboard by having the numerics as secondary keys running along the top row. This is presumably because you won't use the keyboard to make a call when the touchscreen interface is far more intuitive.

When it comes to typing, we have to admit the Nokia E7 has a clear advantage over the Nokia E72, not only in terms of size but also the responsiveness of the keys. So much so that once you've experienced the keyboard we reckon you'll find it hard to go back again!

Made the switch from the Nokia E72 to the Nokia E7, or just thinking about it? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments below.

Check out our Nokia E7 versus Nokia E72 keyboard photo gallery:

Nokia E7 versus Nokia E72 keyboard comparison

Tags: E-Series E7 E72 keyboard Nokia Nokia E7 Nokia E72 QWERTY Symbian S60 3rd Edition Symbian^3

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Sierra

Awesome!! I have been using the Nokia E72 since it came out and I have patiently waited for the release of the E7. I’m getting the E7 in the next week or so, so I hope I won’t be disappointed… The keyboard on the E72 works brilliantly, so I hope the E7 doesn’t fail. I noticed with the E72 that when I type very fast, some of the letters don’t get inputted. Is that the same with the E7?
adam

I have a Nokia N97 mini and I loved the keyboard to start with but in time the device started to slow down and problems appeared..
Its true when you have had the full keyboard you do find it hard to go back. I’m thinking of getting the E7 but worry it may be like the n97 mini after the reviews I have read
Mikey Bee

@Sierra. It all depends how fast you type. We’re starting to get a decent pace going on the E7 now and so far we’re finding it really easy to get to grips with. I think once you’ve tried it you’ll find that the E72 will be looking for a new home
Justin

The sad thing for the E7 is that no keyboard will ever best the E72′s.
Dr. Blind

I got E72 at its release and I got E7 among the first pre-orderers here in Finland. Luckily, my firm has multi-SIM contract so I have been able to use both phones. I am a heavy business user with a lot of happening each day, lot os writing and reading emails, attachments and of coure sms:s. E7 is more show-off, not a real heavy business phone, so E72 is my war horse. A couple of reasons:

- E72 has a superior calendar; especially the lack of split screen in E7 (viewing both a week/month and a single day simultaneously when trying to find a free time slot) is very disappointing;
- E7 has a fixed foxus camera, no way to scan documents or business cards as with E72 which has the software as well, pre-installed
- the touch screen in E7 is good but a bit slow; as my firm insists on a security code, it is very very cumbersome to get anything done quickly with one hand with E7 – for example, when running from a cab to elevator holding your briefcase on one hand – the physical alphabets and programmable short cut keys in E72 make even these quick minutes productivel but totally frustrating with E7

I am looking forward to E6 – maybe it would combine the robustness of E72 with modern touchscreen.
N97

I have N97 and looking for a new one. I was thinking of E7, but it has a big problem (8gb and no memory card space and my N97 has 32gb and i have 16gb memory card). I love the design on E7, but with all the problem, I will have my N97 until Nokia come out with a phone that are as good as N97.