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Communicator head to head: The Nokia 9300i, E90, E75 and N97

The single biggest form factor for true smartphones in Western Europe in the last five years has arguably been that of the 'Communicator', a term coined by Nokia for its 9000 series, initially running on GeOS and then on Symbian OS 6 and (later) Symbian OS 7. Then came the oddball E90 and a slightly more mainstream E90, while Nokia's Nseries picked up some similar action in the shape of the N97. But how do they compare, head to head? Is there a true modern day successor to the Psions and Nokia 9210s of old?

Some interesting contenders: from left to right, the Nokia 9300i, the Nokia E90, the Nokia E75 and the Nokia N97...

Nokia 9300i Nokia E90 Nokia E75 Nokia N97

Let's see how the four devices, ranging from 2005 to 2009, stack up, spec by spec and feature by feature:

Device Nokia 9300i Nokia E90 Nokia E75 Nokia N97
Weight, dimensions, comments 172g, 132x51x21mm 210g, 132x57x20mm 139g, 112x50x14mm 150g, 117x55x17mm (19mm at points)
Screen/mechanism Conventional hinges, which protrude when the 9300 is 'closed' Double-jointed steel hinge, data through one hinge Side-sliding (flat) only Double-jointed alloy hinge with solid ribbon cable barrier
Display 640x200 pixels (inner) plus 128x128 pixels (outer), both transflective TFT 800x352 pixels (inner) plus 240x320 pixels (outer), transflective TFT 320x240 pixels, both orientations, transflective TFT 640x360 (nHD) transflective TFT, with resistive touch layer
Processor/RAM 150MHz, 64MB for OS and apps (normally plenty). Not lightning fast but speed is rarely a problem 330MHz, 80MB free. Quick device for many tasks and great at multitasking but held up by the large non-S60 standard screen size 369MHz, 75MB free. Quick device for most tasks, but a couple of applications currently need optimisation (e.g. Calendar) 434MHz/56MB free (without Facebook widget) after booting. Speedy for most tasks, you have to hit the N97 with large web pages and multiple widgets to hit the RAM limit and start slowing things down
Text input Full five-row QWERTY keyboard, but key travel is small and joystick is fiddly. T9 input on the cover phone, but not full applications Full five-row QWERTY keyboard, though keys are small. There's also T9-style text input on the outer 'cover phone' S60 interface Four row QWERTY keyboard, largish keys but with flattish tops. Also physical T9-style keypad on the cover. Three row QWERTY keyboard, somewhat condensed layout, space bar optimised for the right thumb and most punctuation on functioned keys or dedicated symbol grid. Also on-screen T9-style keypad entry.
Base OS Symbian OS 7.0 Symbian OS 9.2 Symbian OS 9.3 Symbian OS 9.4
User interface Series 80 (derived from the old Psion menu-driven system) on the inner communicator, proprietary common-actions interface on the cover phone S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1, providing a way to unify the cover and 'inner' phones, but at the expense of some usability and performance compromises.  S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2, works well in portrait or landscape for all applications. D-pad and function keys can be awkward to press when the device is 'open'. S60 5th Edition, largely tried and tested UI concepts, but with some distinct quirks for touch. Works well with d-pad and QWERTY keyboard, somewhat surprisingly, apart from the lack of a 'Ctrl' key and the resulting clumsy way copy and paste is implemented.
Firmware updates Via Nokia Service centre only. Firmware was mature well before the 9300 was made 'end of life' Via PC Suite, wipes C disk, so data re-syncing and app set up needed. Current firmware state = mature, but arguably incomplete. Nokia hasn't updated the firmware in ages. Over the Air or via PC Suite/Updater. User Data Preservation. Current firmware state = very stable but with a few non-critical niggles. Over The Air or via PC Suite/Updater. User Data Preservation. Current firmware state = buggy.
Application set highlights (built-in) Full office editor (derived from old Psion Office suite) Quickoffice (full editing, free upgrade to v6 Premium), Zip manager Quickoffice (full editing, free upgrade to v6 Premium), Zip manager, Share online, Podcasting, Internet Radio, Dictionary, N-Gage. Ovi Store, Share online, Podcasting, Quickoffice viewers (editing version available as a paid upgrade), Podcasting, Dictionary, Zip manager, Drawing, N-Gage game client, numerous Web 2.0 web site widgets, including Accuweather, Facebook, Qik, Boingo, YouTube
Web browser Opera (circa 2005)  Webkit-based, Flash support Webkit-based, Flash support Webkit-based, Web next-gen, v7.1, with adequate Flash support
Navigation via Bluetooth connection to GPS module and TomTom (or similar) software GPS with Nokia Maps, full voice route guidance on subscription, GPS reception excellent GPS with Nokia Maps, full voice route guidance on subscription, GPS reception good GPS with Ovi Maps, with full voice route guidance on ad-hoc subscription model, GPS reception currently a little flawed, awaiting new firmware (etc.) Digital compass
Camera (stills) None 3 megapixels, LED flash, decent results in most light conditions 3 megapixels, LED flash, good results in most light conditions (significantly better than E90) 5 megapixels, Carl Zeiss optics, high quality, dual LED flash, superb results in average-to-good light conditions, camera glass scratch problems ruin LED flash photos though
Camera (video capture) None VGA capture, 30fps, focussed on a few metres, as per N95 VGA capture, 30fps, focussed on infinity VGA, 30fps, focussed on infinity, audio is very good
Audio Mono loudspeaker, poor quality, stereo music via Pop-port headphones, but very limited software to play it (OggPlay was popular!) Loud, high quality stereo speakers (though close together on rear!), excellent through headphones Loudish, high quality mono speaker on rear, excellent through headphones Stereo speakers, moderate volume, tinny/narrow frequency output, excellent through headphones
Video Basic H.263 MP4 and 3GP videos supported MP4 videos play well if specially crafted and optimised for the wide screen or if small enough to play in a box in the centre of the screen. Contains a hardware graphics acceleration chip MP4/WMV videos play back acceptably, though frame rate and compatibility isn't 100% MP4/WMV videos play back well, also BBC iPlayer compatible in the UK
Electrical Nokia Pop-port data and audio, 3mm charging, 1100mAh battery miniUSB (low speed) data, 2mm charging, 2.5mm audio jack, 1500mAh battery microUSB (high speed) data and charging, plus 2mm charging, 3.5mm audio jack, 1000mAh battery microUSB (high speed) data and charging, 3.5mm audio jack with TV out, 1500mAh battery
Network specs Tri-band GSM Quad band GSM, single band 3G Quad band GSM, Tri band 3G Quad band GSM, Tri band 3G
Wireless specs Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Infrared Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM radio, infrared Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM radio Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM radio, FM Transmitter (surprisingly useful, for playing music and podcasts in the car)
Capacity (Gigabytes) 80MB user flash memory, plus MMC expansion 136MB internal flash memory, microSD expansion 86MB internal flash memory, plus microSD expansion 32GB internal mass memory, plus microSD expansion (under the battery cover)

Of course, there's more to a comparison than simple specs can indicate. The Series 80 interface on the 9300 was popular with many for its (often) full-screen, pop-up menu operation, while the E90's adaptation of the designed-for-one-hand S60 interface proved just as unpopular with much the same crowd of users. It's fair to say that Series 80 and the 9300, and S60 and the E75, work especially well because they were designed for each other, while the E90's extended S60 and the N97's S60-plus-touch adaptations are often awkward. Which is at least party why there's a feeling afoot in the industry that S60 is a system stuck in 2005 to 2008, just as Series 80 was stuck in 2002 to 2005. 

In terms of raw specifications, the progression from left to right in most areas is clear. You only have to compare the 9300 with the N97, which is smaller in most ways yet has vastly more features. It's very notable that features which require add-on software in year X often become part of the built-in package in year X+1.

Which of the four do I prefer? I've owned and liked all of them in different eras, but I think I'd have to pass on the E90 and 9300 - I've become too used to modern conveniences like:

 

 

...to give them up! 

Comments welcome on your take of the progression and development of the Communicator/QWERTY form factors dreamed up by Nokia's design teams!

Steve Litchfield, All About Symbian, 7 October 2009

Published by Steve Litchfield at 12:13 UTC, October 5th 2009

Categories: Comment, Hardware
Platforms: Series 80, S60 3rd Edition, S60 5th Edition

Feature Discussion
timsalmon
Comment: As you know, I loved the E90 - and still do in many respects - but I can't use it anymore. My eyes have, I think, just got older and even when the inside screen is zoomed up (using Web) I struggle to read the fonts. The resolution is *so* good that it's *too* good. It's a matter of physics, I guess - if it needs to be zoomed up enough to read, I can't take advantage of being able to see the whole webpage 'as designed' but rather a portion. Now with a touch screen, that might make 'swooping' in and out (iPhone/Hero sytle) easier and quicker to achieve. But as we've said many times before, Nokia aren't going to develop the Communicators any more. Ho hum! Great comparison, BTW.
mjbrown
Comment: I think the bit you left out was PIM functionality – worthy of an article on its own. I have on my desk a Psion series 3a, a Nokia 9300 and Nokia E71. On the one hand the E71 excels from a technology point of view, but a comparison of PIM functionality would give a completely different perspective, with the 3a coming first by a mile, then the 9300 and the E71 a poor third. How about doing a comparison of the diary and contacts functionality (including synchronisation with Outlook and other diaries), Steve? Then following this up in each review of a new phone to see how it measures up, not only to the 3a, but also to the iPhone, Palm and others PIM offerings...?
iscogd
Comment: Hello,

N97 is not communicator!!!!!!!!! terrible unit, not for business use.

I own the rest, and I think best of all was 9300 which was perfect size, good PIM, and really communicator. Today I use E71, and it's too small, and PIM is less good, but excellent connectivity.

It was wrong of Nokia to drop the communicator family due to the failure of E90 (their mistake), while the market buys more and more sophisticated phones, and market share shows how Nokia is diving down, and loosing the market. More and more business people drops Nokia and change to other manufacturers. RIM became very strong over Nokia due to that Nokia failed to understand business market and needs.

Isaac
nj7
Comment: Agree with Isaac... Nokia should do an 9300 upgrade... not N97... but the same form factor and the same OS, well balanced for communicator style.
jApi NL
Comment: Same here , agreed . S80 is not a old , non-working platform for "modern" times . I like the "Menu" interfaces . Next commi should be a 9500 with 9210 keyboard , with modern hardware and E90 hinges .

:) Regards jApi NL
mikejaydavies
Comment: [quote=iscogd;441208]
N97 is not communicator!!!!!!!!! terrible unit, not for business use.
[/quote]

I think that in terms of the form factor, you could class the N97 as Communicator. It's not necessarily part of the Communicator family but it has some similar traits
JGlazener
Comment: At the start you pose the question which if any of these phones is a a true successor to the Psions. Though each iteration from the Series 3 to the E90 has been a two steps forward, one back exercise, I have had them all and strongly feel the E90 is the only one carrying the flag. For business use there is nothing like it as a replacement for everything, particularly a laptop. I never take anything else on business trips.
If the E90 is really the end of the Psion / Communicator line that is very bad news for people like me, and I assume I am not alone in this. Even if it is a niche product there must be enough market for it to make development worthwhile. There is a dedicated customer group out there and it would be senseless for Nokia to alienate it.
Unregistered
Comment: well, the best keyboard was from 9210, best (sizewise) 9500..
all-in-all, teh S80 was a superb system and i am still longing for it..
Blackberry, E71, E90, they are all behind..

and the calendars are getting dumber, the sms functionality as well..

alas..
pintofale
Comment: Agree with JGlazener above - there is nothing current or coming which has the same set of features as the E90 - large hi-res screen, full keyboard, and monster battery. There are many devices which have only two of the three - the closest is the N97, but the all three are inferior, and on top of that the build quality and firmware stability are inferior too.
I was initially excited by the N900 but now I believe it will fail like the other tablets - sincerely hope I'm wrong. I suspect the commie line is dead - the E90 is over two years old and no replacement announced - I suspect they think E75 & E71 will cover the market sector. E90 is too big for most people.
pintofale
Comment: [quote=timsalmon;441200]As you know, I loved the E90 - and still do in many respects - but I can't use it anymore. My eyes have, I think, just got older and even when the inside screen is zoomed up (using Web) I struggle to read the fonts. The resolution is *so* good that it's *too* good. It's a matter of physics, I guess - if it needs to be zoomed up enough to read, I can't take advantage of being able to see the whole webpage 'as designed' but rather a portion. Now with a touch screen, that might make 'swooping' in and out (iPhone/Hero sytle) easier and quicker to achieve. But as we've said many times before, Nokia aren't going to develop the Communicators any more. Ho hum! Great comparison, BTW.[/quote]

So what replaced your E90 Tim?
Raven
Comment: Nice article, Steve. :) Made me really miss my 9300...

I really don't get Nokia (and other players) approach to UI design..! Series 80 was, in my opinion, without a doubt The Best UI for a pocket-sized computer-phone. Why do I think it was the best? -Simply because it had a UI most resemblant that of a real computer - with the top drop-down menus (and the sidebar) with all the necessary functions laid out in a logical, easy-to-use manner.

So, why is it then when smartphones become more and more computer-like (with phones also promoted as such), Nokia (and others) move away from a clean computer-like menu layout, to a messy, clunky, illogical icon-based UI? Practically everyone has used a real computer way before smartphones started appearing, so why not make the UI more similar to a real computer menu layout, especially now that phones are meant to do almost everything your desktop/laptop computer does?

I was initially very excited with the release of the N900, only to find out that the UI has been dumbed-down (more s60-like) compared to the earlier Maemo internet tablets...

Perhaps I am being old fashioned, and that this is the way forward... I for one, just can't stand this trend... I'd like a powerful Communicator that works in many ways the same as OS X Tiger on my old Mac... I know, the iPhone (which I own) has made this whole icon based UI work really well. The only problem there is that the iPhone really can't act as a computer replacement, being too locked-down and simplistic, missing some essential features like easy file transfer, proper multitasking, customization options etc.

So, have I lost the plot completely here, am I missing something? Anyone? :dontknow:

EDIT: Oh yeah, about the phones in the article, I'd choose the E90. Even though I think S60 sucks donkey balls and I love the Series 80 interface much more, the 9300 is unfortunately a bit too outdated now; technology-wise...
Ammar_Dento
Comment: Till now i cant find a proper device to replace my trusty E90...Communicator in my humble opinion mean large screen (E75 fail horribly) with decent QWERTY keyboard (N97 fail...even with the touch screen) and at least one day charging interval (N97 fail again).

While N97 has its own advantages over the Communicators in the multimedia species i cant see any advantages in the E75 beside the small things i dont care about.

May be am still young enough...i didnt use the 9300 neither S80.

Again in PIM comments...S60 is very poor in this field...even with 3rd party solutions.
Unregistered
Comment: Haven't you guys heard of the N900? I think its about to beat all of those models on just about every front. Its not perfect but it will be a direct contender to the iPhone for touchscreens.
pintofale
Comment: 'Unregistered' above - the iPhone has succeeded primarily because its software is very refined. I will have a tenner with you now that Maemo 5 is a basket case when the N900 launches, and that prediction is based on experience both of previous Maemos and every recent symbian Nokia.
Unregistered
Comment: N900 has a very short battery life and is almost twice as think as the iPhone, whilst weighing 30% more. Considerable disappointment will accompany the N900 into the market place beacause people are expecting a modern light, portable phone. It's too chunky and not meant to be a carry-everywhere device.
kcfischer
Comment: Still very happy with the E90 as a business tool. Purpose was mostly when I purchased E90 to not have to take a laptop on business travels. What I would like changed is:
faster processor
faster WI-Fi and bluetooth connection
bigger touchscreen/buttons on front (not all the "real estate" is used
better Browser with page down/up shortcuts
better camera button
email program a la ProfiMail
KCF
alfabob
Comment: I've gone from the 9300i to now, a 5800, and also an N97, as well as an HTC Advantage. Of all the devices, the 9300i for me was the most complete device , the one that was closest to perfection, in terms of OS, form factor and UI. Nothing beats S80 for me, the menus were simple to navigate, there were hotkeys galore, Desk was customisable, it was just complete. S60 is a lightweight in comparison. And I loved the keyboard! 5 rows, all the small keys with a little hump in the middle, makes for a great keyboard! The N97s, though useable, pales in comparison.

I really think Nokia should give the E90 a last big update, perhaps in saying goodbye to it... and work on a replacement with the 9300i as a basis!
Unregistered
Comment: Two corrections in the list sir...

1) 9300i has T9 on cover..
2) E75 has only 1000mAh battery and not 1050mAh battery...

Thanks...

Though I have use almost all in the list, I consider only 9300i as communicator in this list... Because of Excellent PIM, hundreds of shortcut keys as in DESKTOP, PullDown Menus, Superb multitasking even with small amount of RAM, Escape key + Menu keys, FULL usage of Screen estate, FAX, FULL 5-row keyboard, and list is very big....
buster
Comment: I always love the "such and such isn't a Communicator because..." arguments. "Communicator" is a word coined by Nokia for their own use, to describe a certain type of phone. I don't think they ever said it had to have 2 screens or a hinged screen or run a certain OS/UI, so it is whatever Nokia choose to call it.

I played with a friend's 9300 (before he moved to the Dark Side and bought an HTC Touch Pro), and was never particularly impressed with the overall feel, and it certainly didn't seem as pleasant to use as my E90, whatever the (claimed) advantages of the S80 interface.

I would have thought that there is plenty of place in the market for an E91, but I suspect that we will never see one, which I think is a great shame. I love my E90 and, after 2 years of intense use and one immersion in water, it is as good as new; there's certainly nothing wrong with the E90's build quality.

The main problem I have is being unable to update the FW to the latest v. 400.xx, as Nokia's updating mechanism is so cr*p that mine always fails; now that is something that Nokia REALLY need to look at...
Unregistered
Comment: The situation is SO bad that I keep thinking to revert back to my old Psion Revo+ in addition to some modern connectivity-reach smartphone with big screen and w/o keyboard (for GPS and WWW).

[url]http://i003.radikal.ru/0910/03/651ee54497d9.jpg[/url]

[quote=Unregistered;441299]Two corrections in the list sir...
Because of Excellent PIM, hundreds of shortcut keys as in DESKTOP, PullDown Menus, Superb multitasking even with small amount of RAM, Escape key + Menu keys, FULL usage of Screen estate, FAX, FULL 5-row keyboard, and list is very big....[/quote]

You will wonder, but: 9300 is worst communictor I even saw due to bad keyboard, weak PIM apps, fake desktop (no file-shortcuts there), SLOW.

[quote=buster;441305]The main problem I have is being unable to update the FW to the latest v. 400.xx, as Nokia's updating mechanism is so cr*p that mine always fails; now that is something that Nokia REALLY need to look at...[/quote]

You missed nothing. After change of Product Code for my E90 I did successfull update. Nothing noticeable changed.
Unregistered
Comment: Steve, why not review Nokia Communicator 9500? instead of 9300i?
well i guess the 9300i was a way newer version of 9500 and the old 9300, but at least 9500 has a vga camera =)

yea, i reckon N97 isn't a communicator, just because it has a qwerty keyboard, i don't think that makes it one

It was good back in the old days when 9300i and 9500 were the communicators with Symbian S80, coz it differentiates them from the S60 ones like 6600,7610,6630 and so on..

When E90 came out, it disappointed many S80 users, yet bring joyful to some S80 users as well..

I personally think Nokia should have improved the Symbian S80, and make it different to S60, which will make it totally unique in it's own way =)

Great review by the way
malerocks
Comment: [quote=buster;441305]The main problem I have is being unable to update the FW to the latest v. 400.xx, as Nokia's updating mechanism is so cr*p that mine always fails; now that is something that Nokia REALLY need to look at...[/quote]
Why not take it to a Nokia Care to get it updated like we used to do in the good old days - before NSU and FOTA came out. I am sure they will be able to do it properly.
Unregistered
Comment: "Why not take it to a Nokia Care to get it updated like we used to do in the good old days - before NSU and FOTA came out. I am sure they will be able to do it properly."

That's a good point. I've never needed to do it before, so hadn't really considered it as a possibility....
Unregistered
Comment: Is here Linux-gury familiar to Psion? Please let us know: are there PIM applications somehow as good as Psion was? I mean: Contacts (with custom labels, flexible display modes), Data, Calendar, Jotter, Sheet (with REAL password protection), etc. If so, seems good idea to wait and buy smartbook (one recently released by Sharp) with GSM/GPRS plugin and no more dance with Nokia.
ericklamothe
Comment: It is clear from many people's comments, including on this excellent site, that out of the devices highlighted for comparison on the subject, the Nokia E75 appears to be a very compelling offering as a good solid all rounder. I presume given the fast moving nature of the market, and the fact that Nokia is going to be more engaged in widening Maemo within its high end smartphone range, that S60 (most effectively shown in its non touch screen guise) will remain the robust practical and efficient OS for those wanting a productive working tool right out of the box. Certainly, it is therefore best suited to the E75. It would appear that it is the excellent combination of software and hardware in the E75 S60 arrangement that will appeal to many.

However, taking the theme of this discussion to a wider level, attention to this form factor will significantly increase in 2010 with the arrival of the "smartbooks" such as Qualcomm's offerings, which will aim to bridge the gap between smartphones and netbooks. Price and ease of use (ie keyboard comfort) will determine their success. Although I don't believe these devices will seriously affect sales of smartphones or netbooks which are continually going up, smartbooks could be here to stay.

For many of us, the main issue of ease of typing. If you want a device to be productive with and give you the opportunity to do document related work clearly for long and complex activities a netbook and not a smartphone is the only way to achieve this comfortably and efficiently. However, there will be those times when the ability to input text to a useful extent in a more rapid way that the T9 keypad arrangement is welcome and designing devices that can offer this functionality remains a challenge. The communicator line, etc should be applauded for trying to address this.

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