A classy pin-striped suit of a phone, Nokia’s new handset gives you smartphone power with a dignified feature-phone look. With its aluminum faceplate and snappy slide-out keypad, the E65’s build is unusually solid and feels decidedly rich. Watch out, though, as some of this cell’s keys may be too small for the ham-thumbed.

The E65 is a Symbian Series 60 smartphone with unusually speedy EDGE data support, as well as Wi-Fi. Voice calls sounded clear, though the speakerphone’s sound level was low. The built-in e-mail client works with POP/IMAP accounts and third-party software can let you edit Office documents. Nokia’s Web browser, which handles full pages, is the best available on any mobile platform. The bundled music player app had no trouble with MP3 tracks but couldn’t play unprotected iTunes Plus AAC files. For pictures, an internal 2-megapixel camera takes detailed, grayish photos with good light balance. Battery life, at 7 hours and 44 minutes of talk time, is pretty good.

Sold as an unlocked device, E65 is especially appealing to world travelers, who appreciate the ability to swap in foreign SIM cards. But any professional could warm up to this solid GSM handset, which may look and act like an ordinary phone but offers a host of smartphone features.

Price
Nokia E65: $449 direct

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