At first glance it looks like a slimmed down E90. But then you realise it's utterly miniscule. Here's my review of the Nokia E51, which packs much of the E90's style and functionality into the slimmest and smallest S60 smartphone ever made. Any downsides? Only a few hard-to-press side keys stand in the way of the E51 being the perfect smartphone for an awfully large chunk of the phone and smartphone market.

Read on in the full article (http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/6231_Review_the_tiny_and_super-styl.php).

I think its about time that Nokia came up with a similar phone in the Nseries range. It would be really wonderful to have a slim and small multimedia device. All the current devices may not be very bulky, but they are definitely large.

Looks great; I'm very tempted to get one ASAP, despite only having had my 5500 for a few months. It's a very similar package, with several of the deficiencies fixed (no WiFi, small RAM), though it doesn't have the torch ;-)

Does the E51 have a hands-free mode? I.e. does it work as a speaker phone, or play podcasts etc. without having to use headphones?

And what does it use instead of the Edit (pencil) key, which it doesn't seem to have?

Yes, a similar Nseries device would be very nice. Needs a larger display, though (at least 2.2") and ideally a 3.5mm headphone jack...that would make a nice small music phone!

And while they're at it, they should start using the Eseries high quality materials for their Nseries handsets too...

Can we expect a dedicated video review by either Rafe or yourself or shall we wait until the next episode of The Smartphones Show?

AndyM: yes, full speakerphone mode etc. Though nowhere near as loud as the speakers in Nseries devices. So only really of use in quiet rooms.

Stefan: yes, video review in Smartphones Show 47, out tonight. 8-)

"And what does it use instead of the Edit (pencil) key, which it doesn't seem to have?"

The pencil key has been merged to the # key in all upcoming s60 devices by nokia.

I noticed in one of the screenshots in the Tools folder there is the app "Switch" I am assuming it does the same job as the rotateme app does on other S60 phones... great phone in a great size...seems very hard to beat...:)

I noticed in one of the screenshots in the Tools folder there is the app "Switch" I am assuming it does the same job as the rotateme app does on other S60 phones
I think the 'Switch' application is for transferring data from your old phone to this one.

My bad you are a right it is just named differently on the E51,its the "Transfer" app you get on the other S60 phones.The icon is the also the same.

Also a video review from me once i get my hands on one. Plus I'll probably look at a comparison with the other small phones. For E50 / Nokia 5500 / Nokia E65 / Nokia 6120 users this could be a tempting upgrade.

For E50 / Nokia 5500 / Nokia E65 / Nokia 6120 users this could be a tempting upgrade.

See above; this 5500 owner for one is very tempted. ;)

What does the key under the d-pad do?

What does the key under the d-pad do?
That's how 'C' is represented in the eseries

I just noticed something. The * key also has a bluetooth icon. Is that a shortcut to turn on / turn off bluetooth?

Thanks malerocks! I've been using me E61 so long that I forgot about the C-key. It certainly looks like this is a Bluetooth on-off key. Very handy indeed. This phone looks great, but I think that I will miss my qwerty. But it's tempting, really tempting.

"Changing the old, confusing 'S60' key with the 'swirly thing' logo to a simple 'Home' icon is a masterstroke and instantly simplifies the interface and makes things obvious for new users, especially in an iPhone world where the idea of a prominent home button to bring up the main app menu is familiar. Well done, Nokia - now make this the standard on all future devices!"

Shhh, don't say that! They might listen! I want my Menu key left untouched!

How to lock the keypad? Since the left softkey is set to menu, I hope is not only with the power key...

The ideal phone BUT I got seriously lost in a very nasty dangerous area in a foreign country a week ago. Built in GPS essential in a world traveller's business phone even if it does make the machine slightly bigger. I will wait until GPS integrated into this otherwise perfect business phone.

Can you get to the bottom of why there seem to be 2 backplates? One with a metal dot pattern and another with swirly lines. Compare Steve's picture to this one on Smape: http://img.smape.com/images/review/Nokia/E51/ph/Nokia_E50_main_015.jpg

The one friend I had in ES just moved over to M to there goes my direct source to the division that makes the best Nokia products. :-(

Us living in the US need a US version of this! (correct me if there already is one) :)

Us living in the US need a US version of this! (correct me if there already is one) :)

Several reliable U.S. shops are offering them for pre-order, so I think it will be distributed in the U.S. through Nokia USA.

Question for Steve: Several commentators have said the "2-inch screen" is simply too small to be usable. What did you think?

BTW, I use an E60, and this looks like a terrific upgrade for that one, too.

Excellent reviews here and on the Smartphone Show. Thanks!!!

Several commentators have said the "2-inch screen" is simply too small to be usable. What did you think?

The 6120 (which I reviewed) has an identical screen to the E51, so I hope it's okay if I answer this too.

Saying it's not usable is way way too general. It really depends on who you are, and what kind of device you're comfortable with.

I had absolutely NO problems whatsoever with the 2 inch screen, I used it for web browsing, text messaging, email etc quite a lot. I loved using the 6120, it's probably the best phone I've ever used. I had an N95 loaned to me at the same time, and the 6120 was (for me) better in every way despite having a much smaller physical screen size.

However, I have fairly good eyesight, not everyone does.

If you have poor short range eyesight, if you have trouble reading the ingredients on food packets, then you may want to consider a phone with a physically larger screen (such as the N95).

The same goes for the buttons, if you have large fingers the 6120's buttons may be too small for you, and I'm guessing the same applies to the E51 too.

Hi, I too was interested in the backplates "issue". According to photos of the e51 on the Dutch Nokia website, it seems that the silver one does not have the swirly pattern, whereas the black one does. Can't discover any pattern on the bronze one though, but my eyes may be deceiving me.

I assume photos will be exactly the same when looking at Nokia's e51 pages in other languages.

Wocius, thanks, but what I meant was a US version, i.e., with US frequencies, including HSDPA.

In response to the question of an equivalent NSeries device up above, you need look no further than the Nokia 6120 - it is an NSeries in all but name, and I agree with krisse just above, it is the best phone I have ever used, and I've handled a few NSeries devices. It's really lovely, and suprisingly powerful and capable for such a small, light package. If you really need Wifi go for the E51, if you don't go for the 6120.

If I am not mistaken, 6120 does not have even a 2.5mm jack, which would be another addition (preferably 3.5mm) that would be needed to make it match the more recent N-Series offering.

... I hope it's okay if I answer this too.
...
I had absolutely NO problems whatsoever with the 2 inch screen, I used it for web browsing, text messaging, email etc quite a lot. I loved using the 6120, it's probably the best phone I've ever used. I had an N95 loaned to me at the same time, and the 6120 was (for me) better in every way despite having a much smaller physical screen size.

Thanks, Krisse -- I'm delighted you responded! I use an E60 and have no problems reading it, either, so your answer perfectly addresses my concern.

viipottaja Wocius, thanks, but what I meant was a US version, i.e., with US frequencies, including HSDPA.

Oops, sorry. It's quad band, so it can be used on GSM throughout the USA. I use T-Mo, which doesn't have 3G or HSDPA yet, so I can't really answer your question, but I think it could be used on ATT's 3G network.

I have one on order (in all-black). I'll post reactions when I receive it.

Wocius, unfortunately, the European 3G bands don't work here. The only ones I know of are the N75 and the US version of the N95 (which also has the first HSDPA for the US market from Nokia).

anyone agree that it doesnt look like a nokia anymore?

i mean it looks like something HTC or HP would come up with, doesnt look nokia :(

At last - the home key - a much better idea! When I was first introduced to the E61, I knew that it was a multitasking device, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out an easy way of exiting programs without shutting them down - at first I had to exit the program to return to standby, then I discovered holding down the menu key and selecting desktop, and then eventually I learnt to the two presses to get back - not intuitive!

Duncan.

I got an E60 since August 2006. I'm thinking of buying the E51, but can't seem to find what are the main advantages...I can only see this phone as an evolution of the E60, but I probably end up getting one anyway & will keep my E60 as a back-up phone...: )

In response to the question of an equivalent NSeries device up above, you need look no further than the Nokia 6120 - it is an NSeries in all but name, and I agree with krisse just above, it is the best phone I have ever used, and I've handled a few NSeries devices. It's really lovely, and suprisingly powerful and capable for such a small, light package. If you really need Wifi go for the E51, if you don't go for the 6120.
Its not just the number. Nseries phones have certain advantages that appeal to users like me (better speakers, generally better sound quality, good cameras, multimedia centric features and software to name a few). I am not sure how the 6120 scores in these areas. Before the nseries were launched, i was an active user of the other symbian phones offered by Nokia. I personally think that their best 'regular' phones are usually in the 6000 series (6600, 6260, 6120, etc.)

So I usually prefer to use a multimedia centric symbian phone which I can load with applications for also getting some office work done - thanks to symbian been an open platform :)

At first glance it looks like a slimmed down E90. But then you realise it's utterly miniscule. Here's my review of the Nokia E51, which packs much of the E90's style and functionality into the slimmest and smallest S60 smartphone ever made. Any downsides? Only a few hard-to-press side keys stand in the way of the E51 being the perfect smartphone for an awfully large chunk of the phone and smartphone market.

Thanks for the review. Have you had a chance to handle the black version? I was wondering if there's any risks that the paint on the black edges would fade or peel. Would you know if the material on the black edge is metal or plastic?

Also, it's interesting to me that the black model doesn't seem to be that popular--at least from my impression. Different strokes, I guess.

I had a chance to play with one for day and I really loved it. It's basically an E61i squeezed into a very slim candy bar chasis.

The new shortcuts for some menus are well thought out indeed. This one's definitely a keeper...

I've been using an E50 for quite a while now. The ability to pick up personal gmail and work exchange mail has been a godsend. Great design and form factor and battery life has been good. The best phone I've ever owned.

I don't much like the design of the E51. As someone said earlier in this thread it doesn't look much like a Nokia. This one looks a bit too boy racer for my tastes, but I'm interested in what the WiFi might offer me.

The biggest question I have for anyone who's had some hands on with this handset is whether the responsiveness has improved. On the E50 it takes as long as three seconds to create an SMS or E-Mail. Colleagues with the same phone have the same problem.

Has the processor improved? Has the software been optimised?

Thanks in advance.

DavidA,

I've had handson experience with both and the is no comparison in terms of speed. The E51 is much more responsive than the E50. Looking at the specs will already tell you the story.

The E50 has a 220MHZ processor and 70MB of RAM.

The E51 has a 369MHZ processor and 130MB of RAM.

Wifi on a mobile has become an indispensible tool. I mean who doesn;t need free and fast internet? If you're like me, often downloading and uploading things directly to and from my mobile phone, you'll appreciate wifi.

The software of the E51 has definitely been optimised further. There are many convenient keys now and a single key can perform different functions depending on how long you keep them pressed down. For example, a quick press on the contacts key brings you to the contacts menu. Press and hold onto the contacts key brings you to the "add new contact" screen, ready for you to create a new contact.

I don't think the E51 looks boy racer at all. In real life, it's very classy. Maybe the black and bronze ones do a little bit, but the silver one is nice.

The only thing about it that may be bothersome is the screen size. But at the same 240x320 resolution, you're not actually seeing anything less. In fact, the E51's 24-bit (16.7 million colours) screen looks better to me than the E50's 18-bit (262k colours) screen.

Overall, it's a different generation of phone both hardware and software wise.

Thanks. That's exactly the comprehensive and positive answer I was hoping for :)

Hi,

I just got the E51 and I have a question:
How can I set-up this phone to dial out and connect via GSM to the internet and/or receive mail. I cannot find the setting as I had a E65 and that was easy to find...did Nokia forgot something on purpose???? Any help/advise is appreciated

Is the Bluetooth interface in E51 reliable? According to discussion groups on the internet on 6120 Classic it was not as reliable as it should be, and E51 looks like is built around the same platform.
Any experience in that area, both for hands free and data transfer?

I was for a long time leery to Symbian-phones because they weren't very snappy to use and that's a big issues for me. A year ago I bought the predecessor to the E51, the E50 and was very happy with it's features and speed.

I played around with an E51 a few weeks ago and it's even faster, slick as ice to use it! My E50 definitely feels slow after using the E51 for awhile. This phone is the first Symbian phone that is as snappy as the Series 40-phones but with all the goodness that is Symbian.

Way to go Nokia!

I haven't seen an official release date yet, but according to Amazon (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nokia-E51-Free-Mobile-Phone/dp/B000XJ64XU), the phone is due for release in the UK on December 6th, and they are listing it for £209.99 SIM-free.

ETA: According to this blog (http://www.celladdictblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/nokia-e51-released-widely-available.html), it's already widely available in Germany.

Using now the E51 for some time and I can say that the changes to the keypad work very well. Of course some adaptation is required if you use the common S60 keyboard for a long time.
What I noted for changes in keypad E51 key vs. other S60.

"Home" = $S60$-menu key. major change. Home performs a cycle between: empty idle screen/menu/idle screen. press/hold for open items works the same
"Menu" = $S60$-menu key
"backspace x"= c, more logical i think
# = pencil, just a need to know
press/hold # = switch silent/normal profile, same but now with icon on key
* (press/hold)= on/off Bluetooth

Great E51 review on smape.com.
Coool!!!

Is there a front camera for the video calls function???? My black e51 doesn't seem to have one but the silver one seems to have it.

Here's an interesting opinion on the target market of the E51...

http://www.mobile-review.com/review/nokia-e51-en.shtml

Thanks for the good report.

For *my* needs, the E51 seems to be almost perfect. I have the E65 and the E51 has a few things missing in the E65: a. Candy bar without losing a single button, b. New msg LED c. WMA d. Bluetooh stereo audio profile e. Mini jack instead of POPOP e. Radio f. 4GB

However, can someone verify the following about the E51:

a. Does the keypad auto-lock? I am missing this sorely since the 8210.
b. Does it have a hole to tie a strap?
c. Can it stand upright on its bottom like the E65 can?
d. Does it have stereo speakers?

Thank you.

a. Yes the keypad autolocks.

b. There is a little hole on the lower right of the phone but I'm not sure whether it was meant for a strap. You can have a look by yourself on the photos of the smape E51 review:
http://www.smape.com/en/reviews/nokia/Nokia_E51-rev.html

c. It can if you really want to but as it is very thin, it can fell easily.

d. I'm not sure about this one. There is only one speaker hole so I assume it is not stereo right?

I've had the E51 (black) for 1 week, it is a great phone IMO: solidly built, stylish look, love the keypad. The VoIP worked flawessly on HSDPA and wifi.
To be honest I was a little worried about the lenght of the phone looking at the specs but when you hold it in your hand, the size feels just fine :-).

Is it possible to set the font size to be as small as Nokia E50 or is it bigger anyway even on the smallest setting ? I kinda like Nokia E50 font size; it leaves a feeling of sharp screen...

Does the LED flash for appointments and alarms as well?

Coming from PDAs, that's something I've learned to appreciate a lot.


Also, what's the RAM on this device? This review says 48mb, the Smape review claims 20mb.....?

Why the SAR is so high (1.4W/kg)? The phone is not more powerful or so ever than other similar models; it's not the metal parts of body either.
Any ideas, please?

as a business phone the firmware needs to be upgraded to allow;

- phone numbers from to do lists/ meetings to be hot linked.(so that you don't have to write down on a piece of paper then re enter.

- received sms messages to be converted to, to do lists.

bought it today and could already no longer put up with the excessive fingerprinting on the black e51. i sprayed it with "stainless steel cleaner and repellent" i use for my stainless steel fridge to "repel fingerprints"... it's great now, a few more signs of prints than the fridge but nothing compared to what it was b4! don't spray onto the phone (!!!) - or onto plastic parts according to instructions - spray onto a paper towel and then rub carefully onto the steel part of the phone - not the screen, i tried that too but it wasn't too successful...

Does the LED flash for appointments and alarms as well?
No, the only options in the configuration are notification on missed calls and new messages (SMS and email).


Also, what's the RAM on this device? This review says 48mb, the Smape review claims 20mb.....?

According to the Nokia specs (http://www.forum.nokia.com/devices/E51), it's around 50Mb. With nothing running (but not straight after a reboot), Handy Taskman shows mine has 42Mb free. Straight after a reboot, it is 48.4Mb.


Agreed with the comments on the black model being a fingerprint magnet. I think a case would be the answer, but the Krusell one doesn't seem to be available yet.

As I'm currently in Singapore, I haven't had a chance to try out the data side of things yet, nor make many calls.

I recently got the E90 and absolutely love the keyboard (on the top :P). But recently i made the stupid mistake of jogging with it and dropped it from about 3 -4 feet (Gulp!). Luckly it was turf and the phone is fine. I was looking for a backup of sorts so that i can use it in hostile conditions (I am a civil engineer). E51 seems to fit the bill (i would have taken E61/i but the thing is that the phone is slow very low ram etc). I was wondering how the keyboard (numeric) is compared to the e90? And how long will nokia support the device? One of the reasons i got E90 was hoping for long support (esp given this nokia's random updates to random devices).

E51 seems to fit the bill (i would have taken E61/i but the thing is that the phone is slow very low ram etc). I was wondering how the keyboard (numeric) is compared to the e90? And how long will nokia support the device? One of the reasons i got E90 was hoping for long support (esp given this nokia's random updates to random devices).
There is no comparison in terms of speed between the E61i and E51. The E51 smokes the E61i hands down.

The alpha numeric keypad of the E51 feels a lot better than the E90's. You're much less likely to make mistakes due to the layout and profile of the keys.

I don't think you will need to worry about support. E series phones receive enough attention as they are marketed at the higher end of the market. Nothing worse than pissing bigger spenders off...

Sat 22 Dec 07, 12:16 p.m.

Hi,

I LOVE the 6300. However, the S40 OS, the mediocre camera quality, and the absolutely TERRIBLE sound quality of the mp3 player are big disappointments.

At least the E51 seems to solve the OS problem, with lots more software available, and I can use big screen flas clocks and psiloc font magnifier which is important as I have low vision. If the sound on the mp3 player is better than the 6300, I'm sold.

Anyone care to comment on the mp3 sound quality and the camera image quality (especially compared to the 6300)?

Thanks, lah!

Aloha,

Rex

getting like 2 days with medium use not impressed get a replacement anyone else seen this?

Hi,

I have just found out that this phone has relatively high SAR values (radiation) compared with other handsets. I feel this is step in the wrong direction. What do you think?
Would it be possible to mention this in you reviews? Or at least mention it for phones that have very low (good) or very high (bad) SAR values?

From Nokia site:

E51: 1.40
E90: 0.65
N95: 0.58
5500: 0.50

The legal limit is 2.0
Source: http://sar.nokia.com/sar/index.jsp

Whilst I respect the jury may be 'out' as to what these figure mean - surely no one wants a higher than necessary radiation source next to their face?

getting like 2 days with medium use not impressed get a replacement anyone else seen this?

Perhaps you could rearrange those words into a sentence?

Assuming you're talking about battery life, mine has been very variable. Some days it's been showing full power at the end of the day. A couple of other times, power seems to have drained quite quickly, and the handset got warm. I haven't yet identified which particular applications might cause this (I've not been making many calls, but I have been using bluetooth, wifi (at home), and the internet via GPRS). Is there any application that will show CPU or wireless usage, to give some indication of what might be consuming the power?

As I put the phone on charge every night (why wouldn't you?), I can't say how long it will last on one charge.

ETA: To answer one of my questions, I've now installed the Nokia Energy Profiler (http://www.forum.nokia.com/info/sw.nokia.com/id/324866e9-0460-4fa4-ac53-01f0c392d40f/Nokia_Energy_Profiler.html), so I'll see what that shows next time I notice a problem.

I'd be interested to hear how you get on with the Energy Profiler app. I have similar symptoms, but can add the following: The battery life seems to drop very quickly at odd intervals, seemingly after a wifi call, but not confirmed.

Tonight for example lost 5 bars of charge in an hour, with warm battery as you describe. After a shutdown, battery removal (just to be sure) and reboot, no loss of any further bars after 2 hours.

I had this down as either a rogue app or perhaps a battery fault, and have been keeping it under surveillance. After reading your post I am coming down on the side of a rogue process associated with wifi / internet calling - was never really convinced by the battery explanation.

Following a note about the E50 battery life, I have set the dual mode preference to "GSM Only". Will check back in a few days.

My E51 with just GSM, no WLAN, no 3rd party apps gives
3.7 hour talk time
30.3 hours standby [in a total of 34 hours before a recharge]

But with WLAN scanning on but i never used internet the performance was horrible
10 mins talk time
6 hour standby. this was a nightmare with no phone in office for half day.

now i need to figure out how can i use the e51 features (like browsing with WLAN) and still make the phone work atleast 18 hours.

i want to know how is the battery life for others who are using WLAN feature to browse the internet say 30 minutes a day atleast.

I'd be interested to hear how you get on with the Energy Profiler app.

Unfortunately, this hasn't shown anything useful so far, and in fact the Energy Profiler seems to exit after running for a short while.


I have similar symptoms, but can add the following: The battery life seems to drop very quickly at odd intervals, seemingly after a wifi call, but not confirmed.

Tonight for example lost 5 bars of charge in an hour, with warm battery as you describe. After a shutdown, battery removal (just to be sure) and reboot, no loss of any further bars after 2 hours.

That certainly sounds very much like what I see. I haven't used the internet for calling, though (VOIP). I think it is related to internet usage; I'm not yet sure if WiFi is involved or if it happens also with GPRS.


I had this down as either a rogue app or perhaps a battery fault, and have been keeping it under surveillance. After reading your post I am coming down on the side of a rogue process associated with wifi / internet calling - was never really convinced by the battery explanation.

Yes, that's what I suspect too.


Following a note about the E50 battery life, I have set the dual mode preference to "GSM Only". Will check back in a few days.

Where do you set that?

I've got WiFi scanning disabled; I use Handy Wi to select an access point.

What about the sound quality of E51's MP3 player? Any comment?

Thanks!

AndyM (and all those interested),

To answer your question directly: Set Dual Mode to GSM in Menu/Tools/Settings/Phone/Network/Network Mode. It does seem to have increased battery life away from wifi access points - I can now spend a day in the country without losing a single bar on the charge meter.

I have made some further progress in trying to nail this down more closely but first a little background on my usage patterns (since I am not likely to change these for the sake of experiment):

I use wifi access at home solely for VOIP, and have set up my home access point as default. WiFi scanning is off at all times, but even here the weird behaviour sets in. Sometimes it finds my home access point automatically and connects, somes it finds it only and does not connect and sometimes I have to scan manually before it connects. At work there is no GSM or UMTS signal at all - a black hole - but there is a wifi point to which I have not yet set up the necessary security keys. Home Wifi reception is always a full three bars, home GSM is variable 5 to 7 bars.

I have observed the following behaviour with some regularity over the past few days:
* VOIP calls seem to use a good deal of power. 20 minutes sees the battery warm up to around 35C on a digital infrared thermometer (sad, yes, but I have one)
* I have checked - battery is the warmest component that I can observe without dismantling the phone completely. All other components are at lower temperatures, the warmest being the closest to the battery warmth, so I am comfortable with the conclusion that the battery is the source of the heat.
* If I shut down and remove battery for a minute or so after each VOIP call session then the power usage seems to drop and the battery seems to cool off - most of the time. I have had a couple of exceptions.
* If I leave the phone on and merely shut down the VOIP call, the battery warms and loses charge noticeably in an hour. It seems, but I have no firm data yet, that the longer I leave it the wamer it gets, and the faster it loses charge.
* If I do not use the call for VOIP calls after coming home and connecting to wifi, battery charge loss is relatively low, but I have again a suspicion that there may be a tendency for the temperature gain and charge loss to accelerate. For example, I came in from the great outdoors 2 hours ago and the battery temp is 24C, indicator is still full. But I have had cases where the phone has warmed to 34C and battery drainage started in 2 to 3 hours.

Tentative conclusions then:
* Wifi is using a LOT more power than the GSM mode. Not surprising since the literature on the phone contains warnings, but the degree of relative inefficiency staggers me. This might be explained if the aerial in the phone is designed for 850/900 and 1800/1900 MHz, and they merely ramp up transmitter power to reach acceptable levels at the 2400 MHz of wifi. This would possibly also explain the 1.4W/kg SAR rating that is a little surprising for a modern phone.
* There does seem to be something that does not return to normal after a VOIP call, be it a rogue process, or the transmitter power not being reduced, or some such - I am not really able to suggest what, but use these as illustrations. This leads to vastly increased power usage.
* There are circumstances under which the power drain and battery temperature increase starts without anything other than background wifi comms - no VOIP use.
* The accelerating loss of charge over time, if it is true, could be explained by either a rogue process starting, or the transmission power being ramped up, or by battery efficiency reducing at elevated temperatures.
* I can't yet rule out the battery itself as a cause. It clearly has some high demands placed on it. It may be that Nokia are struggling to power wifi connections, have used a large battery and are taking it to the limit. It may be that there are some quality issues on these high capacity low voltage batteries, as has happened before.

I really like the phone. I works very well, it does everything I want it to and bought it for.

BUT having the battery run flat in an hour or two is unacceptable in a business phone.

I am hoping that there may be a software upgrade that will overcome this.

Since this is a Symbian forum, does anybody have any idea how we might press Nokia for some (constructive) explanation, comment or action?

I have just purchased my E51 yesterday. Have tried many features, and E51 works very well. I am totally impressed with the Setup Wizards, which can guide you through setting up all essential parts of your phone. Also, the upgraded and much improved version of Nokia PC Suite really helps me in synchronizing this phone with my notebook and Lotus Notes with no problems at all, which is much surprise for me.
So far, I think this phone will stand for a very long time, despite its lack of multimedia and fancy features like in N-Series. This phone is very well suited to be called "business smartphone".

Try to set the lower TX level in Phone's WiFi settings from 100 to 10 or even 4 mW in the WiFi advanced options/settings. If access point is near you, then you should be fine. There can be much interference causing your phone to transmit at the higher TX levels, hence, try to set Your WFi's router to another channel from 6 or 11, say to 8 to reduce the interference from other access points.

Try to turn off WiFi scannings, Bluetooth, Infared, put phone in GSM mode only. Decrease display brightness to min. Silence keypad beep sound, turn off the vibro and increase the volume of the Ringtone instead. Exit all applications. If you get 2-4 days, then it is OK for this phone.

There is a free software called Nokia Energy Profile which can tell you the Capacity of your battery. If it is significantly lower than 1050, then change your battery to a new one.

AndyM (and all those interested),

To answer your question directly: Set Dual Mode to GSM in Menu/Tools/Settings/Phone/Network/Network Mode. It does seem to have increased battery life away from wifi access points - I can now spend a day in the country without losing a single bar on the charge meter.

I have made some further progress in trying to nail this down more closely but first a little background on my usage patterns (since I am not likely to change these for the sake of experiment):

I use wifi access at home solely for VOIP, and have set up my home access point as default. WiFi scanning is off at all times, but even here the weird behaviour sets in. Sometimes it finds my home access point automatically and connects, somes it finds it only and does not connect and sometimes I have to scan manually before it connects. At work there is no GSM or UMTS signal at all - a black hole - but there is a wifi point to which I have not yet set up the necessary security keys. Home Wifi reception is always a full three bars, home GSM is variable 5 to 7 bars.

I have observed the following behaviour with some regularity over the past few days:
* VOIP calls seem to use a good deal of power. 20 minutes sees the battery warm up to around 35C on a digital infrared thermometer (sad, yes, but I have one)
* I have checked - battery is the warmest component that I can observe without dismantling the phone completely. All other components are at lower temperatures, the warmest being the closest to the battery warmth, so I am comfortable with the conclusion that the battery is the source of the heat.
* If I shut down and remove battery for a minute or so after each VOIP call session then the power usage seems to drop and the battery seems to cool off - most of the time. I have had a couple of exceptions.
* If I leave the phone on and merely shut down the VOIP call, the battery warms and loses charge noticeably in an hour. It seems, but I have no firm data yet, that the longer I leave it the wamer it gets, and the faster it loses charge.
* If I do not use the call for VOIP calls after coming home and connecting to wifi, battery charge loss is relatively low, but I have again a suspicion that there may be a tendency for the temperature gain and charge loss to accelerate. For example, I came in from the great outdoors 2 hours ago and the battery temp is 24C, indicator is still full. But I have had cases where the phone has warmed to 34C and battery drainage started in 2 to 3 hours.

Tentative conclusions then:
* Wifi is using a LOT more power than the GSM mode. Not surprising since the literature on the phone contains warnings, but the degree of relative inefficiency staggers me. This might be explained if the aerial in the phone is designed for 850/900 and 1800/1900 MHz, and they merely ramp up transmitter power to reach acceptable levels at the 2400 MHz of wifi. This would possibly also explain the 1.4W/kg SAR rating that is a little surprising for a modern phone.
* There does seem to be something that does not return to normal after a VOIP call, be it a rogue process, or the transmitter power not being reduced, or some such - I am not really able to suggest what, but use these as illustrations. This leads to vastly increased power usage.
* There are circumstances under which the power drain and battery temperature increase starts without anything other than background wifi comms - no VOIP use.
* The accelerating loss of charge over time, if it is true, could be explained by either a rogue process starting, or the transmission power being ramped up, or by battery efficiency reducing at elevated temperatures.
* I can't yet rule out the battery itself as a cause. It clearly has some high demands placed on it. It may be that Nokia are struggling to power wifi connections, have used a large battery and are taking it to the limit. It may be that there are some quality issues on these high capacity low voltage batteries, as has happened before.

I really like the phone. I works very well, it does everything I want it to and bought it for.

BUT having the battery run flat in an hour or two is unacceptable in a business phone.

I am hoping that there may be a software upgrade that will overcome this.

Since this is a Symbian forum, does anybody have any idea how we might press Nokia for some (constructive) explanation, comment or action?

Madi123

Many thanks for the pointers. I will certainly try them and check back in.

That ties in with some other observations - regarding how the phone picks up many more wifi points than my laptop, for example.

Do you have any insight into the differences between power usage when active on-line, and when merely maintaining the connection? It seems that there is a huge difference - I can get 48 hours standby time, even with no GSM signal, as long as I don't try to actually use the wifi (before the settings you suggest).

Update on the above.

I found no obvious sign of interference, but did not have a full analyzer - I used Netstumbler.

The 4mW setting worked in my envirionment with no apparent problems. Battery life is now 72 hours (with 2 bars remaining) with normal usage. Battery no longer runs hot.

I have to say I am a bit puzzled by Nokia's approach to power management in wifi, but that is a longer discussion. I hope they modify the default TX power setting on future releases of this phone - I'd hate it to get a bad rep because it is now everything I ever wanted in a phone.

Many thanks Madi123.

A problem has surfaced with my E51. is it peculiar to my unit or general?
Event happens intermitantly: Click Menu key - No menu. Restart unit - menu reappears.
Event happened once: Click Contacts key - No contacts. Reset unit - not resolved. Saved data to PC and reinstalled software - problem resolved.

I talked to a Nokia rep in the store in Manhattan. Nokia does not currently have plans to make the phone HSDPA-compatible in the US. Edge only.

As far as I know the frequencies for HSPA are set by international convention in the 2.1GHz range.

I seem to recall that US has licenced those frequencies for something else (I forget what), so the issue is not with Nokia.

E51 is actually a nice phone well packed with pros for respective class of devices but I can't miss pointing out the Nokia marketing guys' policy that is extremely annoying and unfriendly to users. You can see that this phone is practically identical to 6120 Classic at a bit higher price range, with following differences:

E51:
+great ergonomics
+nice materials and good case quality
+wlan, it even works without problems
+(at last) a decent battery 1050 mAh, 2 full days on (mine) average usage...
+enough memory, at least allowing normal usage of applications
- no videocall (and secondary camera)
- camera is totally useless in darker environment

6120 Classic
+decent camera, of course far from good photo quality but pics are about average level
+video call
-battery again inadequate, needs recharge every single night because can't stand for 2 full days
-wlan
-crappy materials and very cheap look and feel of the case
-memory may not be enough for the applications at a heavier usage

So - the choice is yours... The user is always missing something.

I have been using the E51 for the past 2 weeks, and I am overall happy with the performance. However, I have two major problems. One is the battery life; it gets discharged within less than one day of use, while my previous phone 6230 used to last for 2 days easily at same amount of usage. Probably it takes more power due to WLAN, 3G etc, but then the battery should have taken this into account. Second, I am not able to figure out, in the 'predictive text' input, how do I correct a word that is chosen by the phone wrongly. For example, in 6230, if I wanted to type 'go', the phone would give 'in'. I would then go to options>matches, select the correct word. Here in E51 I do not find that option. Other than that, the phone is a dream to use.

"The E51, like the rest of the Eseries range, has fabulous battery life, (...)" Where did you get this from, Nokia? My e60 doesnt long 24h, and there ist no camera in there!

Hello to everyone
I've just bought a brand new Nokia E51 and i was more than satisfied with it. WiFi works perfectly, it's rather fast, a lots of memory and a perfect, although-small screen!
Opera browser which i downloaded from the official site doesn't working but ok...

problem is that you can't REALLY use WLAN if you can't download enything but .sis or .sisx.!!!!
When I try to download .rar or.exe or simply enything else, movies, songs, ..etc the browser shows : FEATURE NOT SUPPORTED!!!

Please tell me is there anything i could do to???

TNXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx


PLEASE EMAIL ME AT vsrdjan@gmail.com

Think I was one of the very early adapters for the E Series when I got my E61 in August 2006, wasnt a good experience however when I had a lot of bugs (the golf game wont open at all unless I reboot my unit) + lot of other niggles.
Nokia service centre sent the unit thru out the country to their service centers and then returned unit saying they werent capable of handling the E Series as it wasnt yet a hit in India.
After going thru a lot of hell, have been using SE W950i without much trouble, but I am being tempted back to own a E51 as well.
Specs are cool and I have always felt havinga good keypad (qwerty or not) is a must for typing out messages / mails fast wherever, whenever instead of having to depend on some polymer key pad like in the w950i or pull of a stylus when doing the running around to poke at the screen.
Can some Indian Friends (Bombay) using E Series phones tell me if the service for E Series has improved ?
Best
Mahesh (mahesh.lokhande@gmail.com)

Hello to everyone
I've just bought a brand new Nokia E51 and i was more than satisfied with it. WiFi works perfectly, it's rather fast, a lots of memory and a perfect, although-small screen!
Opera browser which i downloaded from the official site doesn't working but ok...

problem is that you can't REALLY use WLAN if you can't download enything but .sis or .sisx.!!!!
When I try to download .rar or.exe or simply enything else, movies, songs, ..etc the browser shows : FEATURE NOT SUPPORTED!!!

Please tell me is there anything i could do to???

TNXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx


PLEASE EMAIL ME AT vsrdjan@gmail.com
_______________

I recently got my E51, and i could not download any .rar or .exe files which prevents me of using my phone as a storage device. any ideas to solve this?

how to connect to Internet via the hsdpa? not available in the connection

Awesome phone. I've had windows mobile device before this phone & I can tell symbian os is far superior. UI is fast. No lags, slim design (very elegant).the camera is not so important I barely use it. Ideal for business purposes, it's also light. Definitely worth the money.:icon14:

Yes, switching from E61i after one year, I miss the keyboard but the size of the phone, the speed, the integration and usability just made the E61i looks like a beta product. Yes, the E51 is better in every way. The wifi hookup is much smarter and faster, the delete key in the mail for exchange automatically move to next line below, VOIP via Gizmo hook up every time, unlike E61i, you login some time but not the other. UI and menu load faster, media load faster, it just feel great without the wait. Hope there will be a E61i follow up with the FP1 or FP2 to make it a great product again. Sorry, E61i, you gotta go.

AC

"The E51, like the rest of the Eseries range, has fabulous battery life" Most E60 users (myself included) need a daily recharge. Go on a weekend, forget the charger at home and you won't be able to call from Saturday night on (happened to me exactly last week). Calling this "fabulous" makes this review very hard to trust.

Until they get me a week without recharging, like I got in the good old 6310i days, they're just missing the point of "mobile" in "mobile phone".

E51i has captivated my imagination from the first day I saw (read about) it. Itz gazillion features along with sleek and stylish body make it must for a ardent cell phone user.

I'm switching to E51i right now !!

how can i install internet explorer to my e51 .. there are some websites that i cant visit and it says i have to intsall interenet explorer ???? any help ???

gran telefono eccezionale

I must have missed something. It acts as a GPS provided it has a GPS with which to communicate vis BlueTooth? I am not getting this...if you have a GPS why would you want the Nokia to duplicate that function?

nokia 6120 is a crap compared to E51
after a few minutes of a phone call it gets so hot that it is not possible to leave it close to the ear

my 0.2 cents

In my German version of the E51 I can't find audio themes, in the themes menu there are only General, Menu View, Wallpaper and Power saver, but no audio themes. Can anybody hlp me?

I have good through this review for several times! Excellent review, as always! But now after so many months of it's existance in market, some shortcoming of this gem is noticeable, and if improved, the new improved version is sure to be regarded as the PERFECT Phone!
The most important shortcomings are:- i) small screen for a business device, ii) read-only version of quickoffice! iii) camara is too poor-performing.
So, I am sure that if the next upgrade of E51 comes with 2.4 inch screen, quickoffice premier-5, and a better camera with flash and auto-focus (but plz, not like below-average camera of E71), and preferably with the improved gallery of N series, the next upgrade will be a killer one.

Any one interested in the E51 should check out Nokia's UK site http://shop.nokia.co.uk