Prizefight: Nokia E61i vs. Sony Ericsson P1i
By CNET Asia staff
30/07/2007
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/mobilephones/0,39050603,62029547,00.htm
Judges: Reuben Lee and Damian Koh
The Sony Ericsson line of smart phones have long had a loyal fan following, and when the P990i went on sale at the end of 2006, interest was high because it was a smart phone that will please tech-minded consumers and professionals. The Nokia E61, on the other hand, appealed to business users and IT professionals with its suite of applications powered by the Series 60 platform. But what really shone were its extensive connectivity features and the omission of a camera.
In this prizefight, we pit the successors of these two popular smart phones--the Nokia E61i and the Sony Ericsson P1i--in a knockout match to see which will emerge the winner. We cannot promise that it'll be a clean fight, but it'll be a fair one.
So let the punches roll.
About the judges
Editor Reuben Lee has reviewed more phones in his six-plus years at CNET Asia than most people have owned in their lifetime, and secretly hankers after the iPhone even though he has a list of 20 reason why no one get should get one now.
Senior Writer Damian Koh has been hoping to be the first to dream up a dSLR phone. Too bad, someone's beaten him to it. Seems somebody at Canon has already been talking about a digital SLR camera-phone, to be called the Digital Rebel XCP.
This article is by no means exhaustive and is only a quick comparison of the Nokia E61i and the Sony Ericsson P1i. To find out more about the phones, check out the full reviews of each phone on the CNET Asia site.
Round 1: Design
A brick for a smart phone just won't cut it in this era of skinny mobiles. A worthy mobile device not only has to look presentable for work and play, it should have plenty of smart when it comes to an intuitive user interface, control layout and efficiency of use in the device. Our individual judge's ratings are based on a 0-to-5 point scale, which results in a final score of 0 to 10 per round.
| Player |
Reuben Lee |
Damian Koh |
Total |
Nokia E61i |
5
Nokia has made the E61i slimmer than its predecessor and added a metallic back cover which gives it a solid feel. It has a comfortable keypad for typing, but the wide form factor makes it harder to use it with one hand. |
5
Compared with the earlier E61, the E61i feels much sturdier, thanks to the solid steel casing at the back. The slimmer profile also makes it more attractive. The keys on the QWERTY, however, are less pronounced. Even though there's less tactile feedback, it continues to be one of the better QWERTY keyboards currently available. |
10 |
Sony Ericsson P1i |
4
The P1i is an ideal size for a smart phone. It's not too bulky, yet comes with a relatively large display. I like the fact that I can navigate using a thumbwheel and touchscreen, but didn't enjoy the text input using the rocker keys. |
3
If there's one thing to like about the P1i, it is its compact and more conventional form factor. But the QWERTY keyboard is a letdown with its rocker keys. I ended up using the tips of my thumbs to type which defeated the purpose of the QWERTY design. |
7 |
- Nokia E61i
- Sony Ericsson P1i
Round 2: Connectivity
Staying connected to the office doesn't necessarily mean the user has to be physically there. A good smart phone means one can continue working on his device via wireless connectivity. Synchronization with Exchange servers, push-email, as well as quadband radios enable the mobile worker to work from almost anywhere, anytime.
| Player |
Reuben Lee |
Damian Koh |
Total |
Nokia E61i |
3
The quadband E61i is pretty much equipped to handle all connectivity options out there, although I am surprised HSDPA was not included in this update. |
4
If the E61i came with HSDPA as well, it would have scored a better rating. That said, this smart phone is more than capable of handling most connectivity needs. |
7 |
Sony Ericsson P1i |
4
You get the standard 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi with the P1i, but like the E61i there is no HSDPA support. It's nice to know the P1i also supports A2DP Bluetooth stereo, a feature that's oddly missing in the E61i. |
4
What the P1i lacks (triband and no HSDPA), it makes up for in other ways including Bluetooth stereo option. So it's a draw here for me with the E61i. |
8 |
- Nokia E61i
- Sony Ericsson P1i
Round 3: Business applications
What's a smart phone without the necessary business applications? For executives on-the-go, the ability to view and edit Office documents is a necessity. Peripheral programs like a voice recorder for meetings, currency converter, world clock and security features, etc., add to the arsenal of killer apps for the business user.
| Player |
Reuben Lee |
Damian Koh |
Total |
Nokia E61i |
4
Nokia has included a good selection of productivity software including QuickOffice and BlackBerry Connect as well as nifty extras such as WidSets and Message Reader. |
4
The good thing about both devices is they have strong software support. So what one can do, the other can also. Nokia has done slightly better in this aspect with more apps preinstalled such as Teams, QuickOffice, PDF reader, screen export and Zip manager. |
8 |
Sony Ericsson P1i |
3
The P1i comes bundled with QuickOffice for viewing and editing Office documents and a PDF reader. A business card scanning tool lets you scan name card information into the phone using the camera. |
3
The P1i isn't too shabby, too. It also comes with Quick Office, PDF reader and an onboard business card scanner. |
6 |
- Nokia E61i
- Sony Ericsson P1i
Round 4: Multimedia
Smart phones are not entirely for business users and there are a fair number who use their work phones after hours as well. Whether it's to play music or watch videos, the smart phone should be just as fun to use when it sheds its business profile.
| Player |
Reuben Lee |
Damian Koh |
Total |
Nokia E61i |
3
There is no camera for 3G video calls. It is also missing an FM radio as well as an LED light for the camera. I was quite impressed with the 24-bit color landscape display for viewing pictures. |
3
This is where the E61i pales in comparison with the P1i. There's no FM radio, no front-facing camera for 3G video calls, and image quality from the 2-megapixel camera barely passed our tests. |
6 |
Sony Ericsson P1i |
5
The P1i is clearly better equipped with multimedia features such as a high-resolution 3.2-megapixel camera, a second camera for video calls, FM radio and A2DP Bluetooth stereo support. |
5
Out of the box, the P1i provides more multimedia options for the user and it has gathered parts of what's good from the Walkman and Cyber-shot pedigree. The 3.2-megapixel camera alone is enough to trump the E61i. |
10 |
- Nokia E61i
- Sony Ericsson P1i
Round 5: Performance
This is where the rubber meets the road. A smart phone is nothing if it can't survive beyond a day of use. The battery life, voice quality, stability, speed and user-friendliness are all consideration factors when buying a smart phone.
| Player |
Reuben Lee |
Damian Koh |
Total |
Nokia E61i |
4
The battery life of the E61i is impressive, lasting for more than four days with moderate usage. However, the user interface can be a little sluggish at times, especially when running multiple applications. |
4
General performance on the E61i was snappy, though some heavier programs took longer to load. But that's common. |
8 |
Sony Ericsson P1i |
4
It has an average battery life compared with the E61i, but navigation is smooth and applications load quickly. The quality of images captured is also pretty decent for a camera-phone. |
4
The P1i definitely feels much faster compared with the P990i and the M600i due to its larger 128MB of RAM. But based on specifications, both are on par, although the P1i has more flash memory (160MB) compared with the 60MB on the E61i. |
8 |
- Nokia E61i
- Sony Ericsson P1i
The winner is...
Total points
Nokia E61i: 39
Sony Ericsson P1i: 39
Winner: It's a draw!
It was a tough call for us because both devices are excellent in what they do. Even though they have a lot in common, the E61i and the P1i aren't really identical. The Nokia may be wider, but ergonomics wise, it's better. On the other hand, the P1i fights back with a touchscreen and a more conventional design that feels more comfortable in the hand. It's possible for us to keep going, but the idea is that neither of them can claim to be superior over the other without a chance for the latter to have a decent fight back.
The one last thing weighing on our mind is the price of the P1i. The Nokia E61i cost S$628 with a two-year price plan when it was first available. The Sony Ericsson P1i, if it were to compete for a similar crowd, cannot be priced off the chart. Ultimately, the decision lies with the user since people will demand different things from their devices.
- Nokia E61i
- Sony Ericsson P1i
|
