Nokia E63 or E71?

annakira on 19/05/2011 - 10:36

Hi all, need some advice (again) :)

Have read some reviews on the net, especially Whirpool forum threads, and still confused between getting Nokia E63 or E71 for my 12yr old daughhter's bday pressie. I have found Optus to be the cheapest (we are all with Optus prepaid at the moment, 3 accounts between us in the family), E63 I can get it for $79 if bought with a $40 recharge voucher (which I need & going to use anyway) from Australia Post, and E71 is $116 from Optus online. We like the look and the reviews for E72, but it's way too expensive for her.

So my question is, which one's easier to use and better for music playback? She's into music and not so much into net browsing (which I don't want her to use it for anyway, given she's on a prepaid plan, which doesn't give any data allowance whatsoever). She will have to bring it to school (in case I need to contact her if I'm running late picking her up), currently she has to bring her mobile AND her mp4 player, which can be a pain, since her schoolbag is sooo heavy enough as it is. So we're trying to simplify things.

Or maybe there's another better phone out there in the same price range? We don't want to spend more than $120, unless it's a really good deal. She basically only needs it for calls and music player, and maybe taking some pics or videos. Oh and also if she downloads songs from her friend's phone via Bluetooth, will she needs some data allowance to do that, or is it free downloads?

Thanking you in advance

annakira

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • ESEMCE on 19/05/2011 - 10:53

    E71 is the better phone overall:
    better camera,
    more memory,
    faster 3G internet speed (even though you don't want her to use it),
    and GPS,

    but E63 has the "killer feature" for music playback… a 3.5mm Headphone socket. (E71 has a 2.5mm). Both will play music just as well as the other, but the E71 will need a special headset (which will be supplied with the phone) or adapter to use proper headphones/earphones.

    Android hansdets would be strongly worth considering… They have all the features of the Nokias above an much more!
    eg. LG Optimus for $99 http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/44754
    (you'd probably want to install a custom ROM to it though to improve performance)

    • annakira on 19/05/2011 - 15:46

      Thank you scubacoles, is the adapter easy to get and affordable?

      • ESEMCE on 19/05/2011 - 16:21

        Heaps on eBay.. so yeah.. if you're comfortable using that
        http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/3-5MM-HEADPHONE-ADAPTER-NOKIA-E51…

        or better still
        http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Headphone-Cable-Adapter-Nokia-312…

        Probably not very easy to find in a store though.. Jaycar Electronics or DSE might have them but you'll pay $10-15 no doubt.
        There will be a headset included with the phone as well, but the earbuds will be pretty poor quality compared to proper music headphones.

        If I were buying for a 12yo though, I'd definitely look at the Android handsets.. The coolness factor will make it an even more highly appreciated gift!
        The LG Optimus at $99 is an absolute bargain! Cheaper than the E71, and it already has a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as being generally more powerful, easier to use without reading a manual and is more versatile..

        Something else to consider is a decent sized memory card and a protective case…
        Memory
        All the phones listed by you and I come with a 2Gb microSD card except the E63 which comes with only a 1Gb card.
        For listening to music, 2Gb is OK, but I'd prefer 4Gb or more.
        Perhaps a present option for Christmas or for next year… 4Gb cards are pretty cheap, easily less than $20 (I bought a Brand Name 4Gb card for $8 from a deal listed here a few months ago!)
        Cases
        The Nokia in particular will need a case. the plastic screens on those older phones scratch really easily. The glass screen on the Android phones is more resilient to scratching, but is probably less forgiving of falls!
        I've always bought my cases off eBay.. I use slip cases cause they add very little bulk and they don't get in the way when using the phone.

        • annakira on 19/05/2011 - 16:36

          Wow thanks scubacoles, I am planning to take her to DSE tonight or this weekend to check out the LG and will make up her mind after. The adapter is so cheap lol, I thought it'd be $15-$20…

          Yeah I do want better memory capacity also, so at this stage E63 is out

          Oh no, Androids less forgiving of falls? She would have dropped her Motorolla V3 nearly hundred times by now :( Will have to get a protective case, that's for sure

        • ESEMCE on 19/05/2011 - 16:44

          I didn't mean to scare.. just putting out the warning..
          I have a Samsung Galaxy S Android phone with a 12.5cm diagonal screen (at least 3cm bigger than the Optimus).. I've dropped it a few times - missed my pocket or forgot I was carrying it along with other things - and it's fared fine (apart from inevitable scratches on the plastic frame) falling onto bitumen or concrete. So they're not totally fragile, but they're not bulletproof either of course.. more screen = greater area of fragility.
          The real problem would be if it were dropped onto a sharp, pointy object which would likely shatter the glass screen.

          Good luck shopping!
          Try looking in an actual phone shop first to see a real, working, phone rather than a plastic dummy phone that DSE are likely to show you.
          The Optimus is an older model so that may not be possible anymore.. but any Android handset will show you a glimpse of what the Optimus will be like, they are all similar to use.

  • ESEMCE on 19/05/2011 - 10:57

    Bluetooth is phone-phone with no Network required, so it's free.
    Also, all these phones come with WiFi so she could browse internet using WiFi only for "free" also (I say "free" because it wouldn't be charged to her pre-paid account, data would come off your home internet plan).

    Here's another Android option..
    Motorola Backflip $149 http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/37187

  • ESEMCE on 19/05/2011 - 11:01

    This page has some more good Android phones
    http://www.optus.com.au/store/prepaid
    SonyEriccson X10mini $161
    SonyEriccsson X8 $152
    and the E71
    all come with $100 RevUp Bonus Credit (expires in 30 days)

    The X8 is the pick of the bunch in my opinion.. (of all the phone I listed above)
    the x10 is a bit too tiny.. although for a 12yo, might be OK

  • leginmat on 19/05/2011 - 11:02

    Used to own an E71 and it's definitely not a bad phone; build quality is much, much better over the E63's plastic body and obviously hardware too. It feels like a solid phone but it's definitely based on more so business orientated adults in my opinion. Also the fact, as scuba pointed, that it has a 2.5mm jack made it poor for music playback.

    Alos, definitely recommend a touch phone as scuba is pointing out. It was a huge improvement for me from transitioning from an E71.

    • ESEMCE on 19/05/2011 - 11:20

      Touchscreen is also VERY cool! That matters A LOT to a 12yo!

    • annakira on 19/05/2011 - 16:27

      Thank you leginmat, I personally do prefer the E71 if it was for myself, but just wondering for $36 less, E63 would suit her just fine. I've asked her re touchscreen, she said she doesn't mind getting it, as long as it plays music and she can store lots of songs :)

      • ESEMCE on 19/05/2011 - 16:31

        See my response above regarding storage..

        • annakira on 19/05/2011 - 16:37

          Lol just did, sorry I'm slow at typing :)

  • annakira on 21/05/2011 - 08:53

    Hi, just an update, daughter went for the LG Optimus (thanks for the input scubacoles, you're right she LOVES the touchscreen), however the problem is after using it for about an hour, somehow her prepaid balance went down from $25 to $15. She told me she only used Google maps (at home), and watched youtube in the car when we were going out to Subway (???? how???).

    We are all very new to smartphones, so just wondering what she did wrong, or maybe someone can link us to a how-to tutorials for smartphones. We thought coz we don't have a wi-fi network at home (yet), less likely that she can chew up her prepaid balance, coz no chance of downloads. Besides, isn't GPS supposed to be free? And how can she download Youtube in the car, when her prepaid account is only consists of MyCredit and MyTime, and no data allowance? Aaargh, very confused…

    Also can anyone point out where she can download games for free or for little amount of money?

    • annakira on 21/05/2011 - 09:46

      Have called Optus to deactivate the internet, so it will no longer chew up her prepaid balance.

      Still need info on where to download free apps and games, thanks :)

    • Ughhh on 04/06/2011 - 12:54

      The data she used to download youtube would be charged to her MyCredit, at a very expensive rate, dont think you need to have any data allowance to surf the internet, all you need is some credit. Not sure about android phones,but sometimes when I open an app on my phone, it may require internet connection and it'll ask me for an access point, unless you have wifi or data allowance in your account, any other access point you choose will cost you a lot. Check out the android market for free apps or google!

  • annakira on 04/06/2011 - 15:05

    Thanks JLove, I totally forgot to add to this thread that we have found the android market which has free downloadable apps. You are right, mMost of them do ask for internet connection, so have bought some data credit off Ebay, 75mb for $1.75, which we thought isn't so expensive, but lucky for us, somehow when we activate the data voucher numbers, it gave us 375mb, so more than enough at the moment for her.

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