Looking for a replacement QWERTY phone

gino_76ph

Hi there!

I currently have the Nokia E5 QWERTY smartphone. the phone has been out for a few years now and i am looking to replace it with another good (SIM-free) QWERTY phone.

I have tried a Blackberry phone (Curve 9360) but i found it to be quite fiddly and the battery life plus the startup time is very appalling.

I cannot see a similar-style/shaped Android phone other than the HTC Chacha and the Acer beTouch phones which i don't like.

What i want is something similar to the E5, user-friendly, an excellent battery life (like my E5 which sometimes last for days) and one that i can use to check basic emails or use the camera to upload photos.

Any suggestions please?

flashg67

Nokia Asha 201? But don't think you'll gain much over the E5, if anything. I'll think you find all/most smartphones suffer from poorer battery life than you're used to with the Nokia, and slow start up is a given, seeing as they're really mini computers - but not a problem unless you power them off all the time?
The Android & iphone etc touch screen keyboards are qwerty or is it that you like to physically press the buttons?

gino_76ph

I would like to be able to have a small form of a QWERTY keypad. The phone version of Nokia's E- series and the Blackberry phones really suits me. I don't have much big hands so those form factors would be ideal for me.

Also saw Huawei U8350 Boulder (aka Orange Hollywood) but the OS being stucked to 2.2 and the low battery life puits me off. same with those newer Blackberry phones like the one i had (Curve 9360), Bold 9790 & the 9900 even if boasting of the 7.0 OS.

I also saw the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro with a sliding-out QWERTY keyboard with them claiming it to be very well laid-out keypad even better than Blackberry's or Nokia's.

What do you think?

fishybusiness

I've just gone from iphone 4s to Blackberry Bold 9900, superb phone with great keyboard. I thought it would be too large but it is just about right.

The only downside is the extra costs of the Blackberry services.

As a comparison, I used to have a Samsung Galaxy S2, again a nice phone, but the touch keyboard was not up to Apple standards, not by a good margin. Apple works well if it suits you, if not Blackberry qwerty is a good alternative imo.

LE3

the sony xperia pro is a nice phone but don't mistake it for the xperia mini which is not good! the downside of the xperia pro is that it's not in the shops, you'll have to buy separate to contract

gino_76ph

The difference between the Xperia Pro and the Xperia Mini Pro is the camera, phone screen and the battery life. all the rest are all the same.

Which would you choose between the two? Which is better for texting and typing which i will be doing most? And how about the mechanism of the sliding slot? a potential to be a problem in the future?

ballyblack

What about the new Nokia 303 ?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nokia-Asha-Free-Mobile-Phone/dp/B00766GJCE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343561350&sr=8-1


http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_asha_303-4278.php

gino_76ph

I would prefer a more square/boxy-type like the Curve, Bold and the E-series. and it must have an LED flash.

I am not into rooting or installing custom ROMs so that is a no-no for me. i want an ordinary SIM-free/unlocked phone.

My only reservation for the Xperia Pro or the Mini pro is the sliding keyboard. do i think it would be "bulky" in my pocket? will the mechanism wear out easily if i use it more often? Will i need 2 Android phones (my other one is an HTC Sensation), just keep my E5 or jump into a Bold 9900 or 9790?

jayme1

the Nokia Asha 302 http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/products/phone/302/
or the Nokia C3 http://www.nokia.com/gb-en/products/phone/c3-00/ ?

the Nokia E6 is the top of the E line that looks like that so could be worth a look.

gino_76ph

A QWERTY body like the Curve and the Bold series is the one i like. not the Asha 303.

I just thought Nokia's ageing Ovi Store and ageing OS is not anymore viable these days. its pretty obvious Android has overtaken it and if i get another "new" Nokia phone i would just get stuck to the normal boring stuff i get from a Nokia phone.