The Nokia E63 , which showed up in late 2008, was a pretty solid add-on to Nokia’s E-series, mostly aimed at business folk and the productivity people type. Coming after the well-liked Nokia E71, the E63 tried to keep that same kind of functionality, but with a more reachable price. It bundled a full QWERTY keyboard, multiple ways to connect , and the Symbian S60 platform. This write-up is meant to look closely at the Nokia E63 , covering how it looks, how it runs, its software side, and the overall effect it had.
Design and Build
The Nokia E63 stuck with a classic candy bar form, plus a slide-out QWERTY setup, pretty much like the earlier E71. Still, the E63 seems shaped by affordability first, so while it’s functional , it also aims to stay cost-effective.
Dimensions and Weight: The E63 shows up at 113 x 59 x 13.9 mm and it weighs roughly 126 grams. When you line it up with the E71, it’s a bit bigger and heavier, yet it still feels quite compact, and comfy enough in the hand. The build seems dependable, with a sturdy plastic shell that looks good, and also feels well put together. You can also grab it in a few colors, like that sleek black, a bold red, or a calmer blue, so people can choose the overall vibe, they’re going for.
Keyboard: A major highlight was the full QWERTY keyboard, giving a tactile typing experience that’s honestly a big part of the appeal. The keys are spaced out nicely , with individual buttons that sit slightly raised and stay easy to read. The arrangement is geared toward fast, accurate typing, and the feedback when pressing feels satisfying. Also there are dedicated buttons for things people use all the time , like email and messaging, which makes everyday usability feel smoother, less effort basically.
The front of the E63 came with a 2.36-inch QVGA screen, resolution 320 x 240 pixels. It was ok for everyday stuff and just looking at content, but honestly by 2008 standards it felt kinda behind. In normal indoor light the clarity and brightness were pretty decent, though in direct sunlight it would kind of fight you, mainly because the brightness was limited and, there was no ambient light sensor , so it couldn’t really adjust.
On the back, there was a 2-megapixel camera with fixed focus and no flash, which sounds plain, because it was. Still, for casual snaps and small moments it did the job, and the camera menu felt simple, almost no fuss. You could tweak basic things like image resolution and color effects, but nothing fancy. It also had a microSD card slot, letting you expand storage up to 16 GB, that part was handy, for music files, documents, and apps too.
Overall the Nokia E63 design was practical and functional, especially for people who like the tactile feel of a real keyboard. Maybe it didn’t have the smooth, sleek looks of some other gadgets, but the build and day to day usability were solid, you could count on it.
Display
The Nokia E63’s 2.36 inch display was like a main point, mostly giving that basic visual experience for its era . The screen at 320 x 240 pixels handled text , pictures, and simple graphics pretty well, honestly. But by 2008 standards , the resolution started to feel a bit narrow or restricted, especially once more and more devices started showing clearer, sharper higher resolution screens.
Color reproduction and brightness: On the whole the display reproduction looked decent, colors seemed sort of vibrant and pretty true to real life when you were using it under usual lighting. Still the screen brightness was not very high , so in bright sunlight or when the light is right on it, viewing content could become annoying. Also there was no ambient light sensor so people had to tweak the brightness by themselves, based on what was happening around them.
Touchscreen capabilities: unlike a number of its contemporaries the Nokia E63 did not have a touchscreen. It stayed with physical navigation keys , plus the QWERTY keyboard. This choice fit its productivity and business minded direction, however it also left the E63 without that newer touch feel, the one that was getting more popular at the time. So you basically had to rely on buttons, not gestures.
Screen real estate: the screen felt small , and honestly it was not the best for media or gaming. It was fine for reading emails, browsing the web , and checking pictures. But if you were used to larger screens or higher resolution displays you might have found the E63 a bit cramped, in a visual sense.
Overall, the Nokia E63 display was functional but it did not really stand out as advanced for its era. It handled basic work, yet it fell short on brightness and also the resolution when compared with newer screens.
Performance and hardware: The Nokia E63 used a 369 MHz ARM 11 processor, with 128 MB RAM alongside it. The internals were adequate for the era’s tasks and apps, but they weren’t that strong compared to some competitors.
Storage: The E63 shipped with about 110 MB internal memory, and that thing could be stretched a bit, using a microSD card , up to 16 GB. Having that microSD slot was a pretty handy move, like users could add more space for files, music, and even apps, without much hassle.
Camera Performance: The E63 had a 2-megapixel camera, it could snap pictures up to 1600 x 1200 pixels, which is kind of the limit they put on it. Now it’s not fancy—no autofocus , and there wasn’t a flash either. Still, it was enough for everyday little photos, quick snapshots, that sort of simple need. The camera menu felt basic, with options like resolution and some color effects, but you won’t find the more serious image enhancement controls or extra improvements.
Multimedia Capabilities: For multimedia the E63 leaned on its music player and video playback, honestly. The music player managed common audio types, such as MP3, AAC and WMA, plus it let you do small stuff like putting together playlists, and adjusting an equalizer a bit. For video, it took formats like MP4, and 3GP so you could watch videos while on the move, without too much fuss. That said, the screen stayed relatively small , and the resolution wasn’t high, so the overall watching experience felt limited.
Battery Life: The Nokia E63 came with a 1500 mAh battery, and it delivered decent performance for its era. Nokia stated up to 11 hours talk time , and up to 20 days on standby. In practice, battery results were mostly dependable, the phone would usually get you through a full day with moderate activity, calls, messaging, and maybe some web browsing, here and there.
Performance : the E63’s performance, was mostly smooth for day to day things , but you could still notice some lag every now and then especially when it was dealing with heavier apps or when you had several tasks running at once. Because the RAM and processor muscle were limited , it really wasn’t the best match for anything that is very resource intensive, though it still managed to work well enough for most normal situations .
Software and User Interface
The Nokia E63 shipped with the Symbian S60 3rd Edition , Feature Pack 1 operating system. Symbian was a well-known smartphone operating system during the late 2000s , and people often praised it for being steady plus for having a huge range of features. Still, by the time the E63 came out, Symbian had started to feel a bit behind, sort of tired compared with newer systems like iOS and Android.
User Interface : the user interface on the E63 was usable, yet it felt a little dated. The main menu was laid out as a grid of icons , and you could customize it so it showed apps you used often or quick shortcuts. In practice, you could tweak some parts like themes , and you could rearrange those icons. But overall it didn’t have the same smoothness or instant response you’d see in more recent touch-first interfaces.
Email and Messaging : one of the E63 highlight areas was its email and messaging side. The phone supported multiple email types , including Microsoft Exchange, POP3, and IMAP, which made it a sensible option for business users who wanted to remain connected to work accounts. The email application could manage more than one account and it included tools like email threading , searching through messages, plus support for attachments.
The messaging interface on the E63 was also well designed , with some dedicated keys on the QWERTY keyboard for quick access to messaging functions , you know that kind of thing. The device supported SMS , MMS, and also instant messaging, and the keyboard made typing messages fast, plus fairly accurate. The messaging app itself had things like predictive text input and threaded conversations, which really helped the whole messaging experience feel more smooth, and less annoying.
Productivity Applications: The E63 came with a set of productivity applications, including a calendar , a contacts manager, a to-do list, a voice recorder, and a calculator, pretty normal tools. The calendar app supported multiple views, such as daily, weekly, and monthly, and it also let users create and manage appointments, events , and tasks. Overall, these productivity tools were handy for juggling personal stuff and professional duties, and they fit nicely with the device’s more business oriented focus.
Web Browsing: The E63 included a built in web browser, but it wasn’t exactly cutting edge compared to newer browsers on other platforms. Honestly the browsing experience was more functional than impressive , and it could feel slow or cumbersome, especially when you opened more complex, or media rich websites. Also, because it didn’t really support modern web standards and technologies, the E63’s web experience stayed a bit limited , even if you could still get things done.
App Store: The E63 featured Nokia’s Ovi Store , kinda like the company’s app store for grabbing extra applications and games. While the Ovi Store had a selection of apps, it wasn’t as full-on or straightforward as the app stores you’d see on iOS and Android. The list of apps and games for the E63 felt a bit narrow , and the overall app ecosystem wasn’t as vibrant or quick-moving as what competitors were offering, it was more subdued.
Connectivity
The Nokia E63 brought a set of connectivity options aimed at keeping users in sync , and productive too. The device supported quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) plus tri-band UMTS (900/1900/2100 MHz), so it stayed compatible with many cellular networks globally. With 3G connectivity in place, data transfer came quicker and web pages loaded with better pace than older 2G connections .
Wi-Fi: The Nokia E63 included Wi-Fi support, and that was a real boon for people who wanted to cut down data costs, while also getting swifter internet. It backed 802.11b/g standards , meaning it could connect wirelessly anywhere Wi-Fi was available. With Wi-Fi on board , web browsing and other data-heavy tasks were handled more efficiently. Overall, the experience looked better than depending only on 3G connectivity.
Bluetooth: The E63 sort of had Bluetooth 2.0, and it let the user do wireless connections with multiple Bluetooth enabled devices like headsets keyboards and other peripherals. This Bluetooth link stayed dependable enough for moving files, pairing up with wireless accessories, and even using hands free devices. So overall adding Bluetooth was a rather useful add on, boosting versatility and connectivity options, without over complicating things.
USB Connectivity: For USB stuff, the E63 came with a micro-USB port, mainly for data transfer plus charging. That micro-USB port made it possible to sync stuff with a computer transfer files, and recharge the device using a regular USB cable. Having that micro-USB port was pretty much a standard thing back then for many phones, and it gave a simple universal connection for users.
GPS: The Nokia E63 included GPS, which was handy for navigation and location based services. It didn’t really include the more advanced style features like A-GPS (Assisted GPS) or step by step turn guidance, but it still offered basic location tools. Those basics were still helpful for tracking down addresses and nearby points of interest.
Memory Expansion: The E63 began with 110 MB of internal memory, and you could kinda expand it with a microSD card. It took microSD cards up to 16 GB, meaning people could widen their storage for files, music, and even applications. Having that extra storage was quite helpful, because if someone later needed extra space, they could just add it in a straight forward way.
Overall, the E63 connectivity options were solid and pretty fitting for its era. The device supported different wireless links plus wired connections, so users could stay linked, and send data back and forth with less hassle.
Camera performance
The Nokia E63 had a 2-megapixel camera sitting on the back , of the device. To be fair it was kinda plain compared with the flashier smartphones back then, but it still worked well enough for casual pictures and quick snapshots.
Photo quality: That two megapixel camera could capture pictures with a max top resolution 1600 x 1200 pixels. Even if it didn’t include the usual upgrades, like auto focus or a flash, and it was also missing a bigger pixel tally, the results were still pretty decent for day to day use. Most pictures appeared fairly clear and had good enough detail when lighting was decent, however in darker moments you could spot more graininess, plus a bit of a loss in sharpness.
Camera interface: The camera app on the E63 felt simple and fairly smooth to operate. People could tweak a few basics, like resolution and color effects. But beyond that , there weren’t really more advanced choices for boosting the image. Also no flash meant low-light work was a bit awkward, so you generally had to depend on nearby lamps or other external light sources to get better results.
Video Recording: The E63’s camera also did video recording , though only up to QCIF (176 x 144 pixels) at 15 frames per second . The feature was kind of basic , not really aiming for high-definition results , you know . While it was usable for its era, the video didn’t have that crisp detail or even smoothness you would see in higher resolution recordings.
In total the camera performance on the Nokia E63 was there, but limited. It handled simple photos and videos well enough , yet it didn’t really stand out for image quality or any advanced camera features , at least not in a way that would impress.
Software and User Experience
The Nokia E63 ran on Symbian S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 1 . Symbian was widely used back in the late 2000s, and it was often considered stable with a solid feature list . Still, when the E63 came out, Symbian started to feel a bit behind, compared to newer ecosystems like iOS or Android.
User Interface : The Symbian S60 interface on the E63 felt functional , but also a little dated . The main menu was arranged in a grid of icons , and you could customize it to show frequently used apps and quicker links. There was some personal control, like swapping themes and re arranging icons. But overall, it lacked the kind of flow and responsiveness you get from more modern, touch based interfaces.
Email and Messaging: The E63 came with solid email and messaging abilities which made it kinda fit for business users i guess. It could handle more than one email account at a time, and it had stuff like email threading , search, and the usual attachment support. For messages, the interface got a boost from the physical QWERTY keyboard, so typing SMS, MMS, and instant messages felt faster, and also more accurate. Plus there was predictive text input, along with threaded conversations that made keeping up with chats feel less chaotic, even when you jump between threads.
Productivity Applications: The E63 also included a bunch of productivity apps aimed squarely at working folks. The calendar app supported multiple views daily, weekly, and monthly, and it let people create and keep track of appointments, events and tasks. There was a contacts manager for organizing contact details, and then you also got a to do list, a voice recorder , and a calculator. Overall those tools were pretty handy for both personal chores and work related errands.
Web Browsing: The E63 included a built in web browser, but honestly it wasnt that advanced, not like the modern ones today. Browsing was OK for basic needs, like checking simple pages , but it could feel slow or awkward especially with complicated sites or anything media-heavy. And because it didnt really support newer web standards and technologies , the whole browsing experience ended up being kinda limited compared to newer devices.
App Store: On the Nokia E63, there was Nokia’s Ovi Store, and it basically let people download extra applications and games. Even though the Ovi Store did offer a decent range of apps, it still felt less comprehensive, and also not as easy to navigate, as the app marketplaces you’d find on iOS and Android. For the E63 the selection,of apps and games was kind of capped, and the whole “app life” around it wasn’t quite as lively or quick-moving as what competitors were pushing at the time.
Overall, the software experience on the Nokia E63 worked well enough, but it definitely showed its age when compared to newer operating systems. The phone did come with a set of productivity tools and it handled email plus messaging in a solid way, but it didn’t really bring the polished interface design or the broader app ecosystem you’d expect from newer platforms.
Impact and Legacy
The Nokia E63 ended up being kind of a important piece in Nokia’s E-series lineup, mainly because it was aiming at business users with that real physical keyboard, practical productivity tools, and dependable connectivity options. People usually liked it for its solid build quality, and also for how it basically does what it says. But then again, it sort of got behind as the smartphone market started moving faster and faster, you know, it couldn’t quite keep pace.
Released in late 2008, the E63 was marketed as a cheaper alternative to the Nokia E71, with similar core features for less money. Between its full QWERTY keyboard, strong email and messaging support, and a variety of connectivity options, it made a good pick for users who cared more about getting work done and staying in touch, than about having the newest platform tricks.
Still, the E63 had its own limitations too, sort of compared to a bunch of competitors. The Symbian S60 operating system was, yeah, stable enough, but it was starting to seem a little outdated when you line it up with newer platforms like iOS and Android. On top of that the phone had a smaller display, a pretty basic camera, and no touchscreen, and those things felt more and more restrictive in a market that was getting competitive by the day.
Looking back, the Nokia E63 can be understood as a device that somehow carried both the good points and the problems of its time. It was well-made and actually practical, especially if you cared about productivity, yet it couldn’t really keep up with how fast touch-based interfaces and app ecosystems were becoming the new norm. You know, the whole “everyone wants this now” feeling.
Even now, the E63 stays interesting within Nokia’s legacy, especially for folks who liked having a physical keyboard and business-minded features. It probably wasn’t a game-changer for the smartphone market, but it did serve a purpose pretty well for many users. As a small chapter in smartphone history, the Nokia E63 feels like a bridge thing, between the older style and the newer era of mobile technology, kind of transitional, in-between stages.
Conclusion
The Nokia E63 was, in a way, a solid and useful device it kinda mixed productivity stuff with connectivity options. You got the full QWERTY keyboard, steady email and messaging tools, and a whole range of ways to stay connected. That combination made it feel like a real work companion for business users and for people who just wanted productivity over everything else.
Even with that, it wasn’t perfect. It had a few limitations , like an operating system that felt dated, a camera that was pretty basic, and a screen that was on the smaller side. Still, it gave a dependable and practical solution for the kind of audience it was aiming at. The E63’s overall look and how it was put together, plus the feature selection, made it kind of a noticeable stop inside Nokia’s E-series lineup and you can still see it as a meaningful chapter in the company’s smartphone history.
The Nokia E63’s spot in smartphone history works almost like a reminder about how mobile devices evolved, and how users priorities kept shifting over time. By focusing on productivity and communication it helped set patterns for later devices. So yeah, the E63’s impact on the smartphone market remains a significant part of its legacy.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.