Nokia E51 review from Singapore

On two occasions, the SIM card had to be removed and reinserted as it failed to recognise the card.

An excellent phone that I never took much notice of till I held it in my hand. The nice weighty feel of the phone lends an air of expensiveness and luxury. I also appreciate the slimness of the phone; it slides into pockets really well and is so slim that you forget you are carrying it with you.

Its casing is stainless steel; it's cool to the touch, but unfortunately attracts oily marks.

The buttons are relatively easy to use. It's a little stiff for my taste, but not at a level that it's uncomfortable to use. The buttons are big enough for manly hands.

Screen is bright crisp and clear, reading text messages is easy enough, though when the phone is on standby, it's a bit difficult to read the date as the font of the text is very very small. Apart from the date, it's all good.

Operating the phone is easy. It has powerful features, its got a web browser, wifi, etc, you can add software to it; I've got Opera Mini and a DIVX player. I do wish it came bundled with some games. Alas, it is a business phone so I can't complain.

It comes equipped with a 2 mega pixel camera. The same as my previous Samsung D600. BUT OMG! The quality is significantly inferior to the Samsung. I was aware of this when I bought it, and accepted that it would be a step down from my old Samsung. So if you're hoping for good quality photos, buy a Sony Ericsson Cybershot or a Samsung phone. Though I can't condemn it either. Best was for me to describe it is that its sufficient in quality.

The reception appears good. Better than my D600. We have an elevator at work and most phones will not have reception. Even my D600 would cut off once the elevator doors close. With the E51 the reception hangs on.

One funny thing that I thought I wouldn't use was video calls. When I was shopping for the phone, the salesman warned me about the peculiar design. Peculiar in that there was no camera facing you for video calls. Thus during a video call, you will see your caller, but your caller will see whatever is on the other side of the phone and not your face. As yet, I've had 2 video calls, and now I really really wish that I had a camera facing me.

Nonetheless the availability of Wifi, slim professional looking design and good powerful interface design is more than sufficient to keep my happiness with the phone. This is a keeper for me, and I am happy with it.