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By Damian Koh
Apr 25, 2007

More than a year after the Nokia E-series was announced, the E61i succeeds the award-winning E61 with a slimmer side profile and a 2-megapixel shooter. The inclusion of a camera to us, however, is a mixed bag. With the E61i, business professionals are now divided into those whose job scope requires them to take field pictures, such as insurance agents, architects and engineers, and those who work in sensitive industries that prohibit the use of camera-phones.

Editors' note: This review highlights the differences between the E61 and the E61i. You can read our full evaluation of the E61 here.

Design
The mocha E61i easily stands out over the nondescript E61 and the aluminum battery cover on the older E61 has been replaced with a solid steel piece. Although the current model has a slimmer profile, in our hands, it still feels as sturdy (if not more so) as its predecessor.

	Left to right: E61i and E61

There are some cosmetic changes on the E61i so it's actually easy to tell it apart from the older E61. On the front now are two additional dedicated buttons: One for your contacts; the other you can configure as a shortcut to access various applications on the handheld. The model name is also nicely engraved into the metallic face plate below the power button.

Unlike the E61 where we can distinctively feel the menu keys above the keyboard, on the E61i, it's easier to press the wrong buttons because there's considerably less space between each key and the surface is slightly flushed. The joystick on the E61 has also been replaced with a four-way rectangular border with a central Enter key which, fortunately, is just as efficient.

	Closeup shots of the E61 and E61i

The QWERTY keyboard, other than having more room between each key, remains largely similar to the earlier E61. What we don't quite fancy about the new buttons are the less pronounced. The rubbery surface also makes a squeaky sound when we run our fingers on it. However, it's a minor gripe and we soon got over it as we breeze though typing a full text message on the E61i.

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