The new Nokia E7 follows on from the successful N8, giving consumers a similar specification phone but also benefitting from a larger screen as well as a physical Qwerty keypad.

The E7 is a superb messaging device, whether it is for accessing e mails or composing SMS text messages. The unit can handle up to ten individual e mail caccounts with many of the major service providers covered, as well as also offering a secure connection to a Microsoft exchange server. The physical keypad on this model makes writing messages a simple affair, and will appeal to anybody who spends considerable time messaging. The keys have a rubber finish and feel well laid out. The keyboard is located on a slider mechanism behind the screen, and this design feels robust and well built. An alternative virtual keypad is built into the screen, and this works equally as well, especially for quicker messages where there is no need to deploy the main keyboard. Connectivity wise, the E7 is armed with a wide array of options to ensure you can always stay in touch. Whilst at home, or indeed anywhere that you can access a WiFi network, the unit benefits from Wireless LAN, with all three recognised speeds supported. On the move, the 3G network offers the fastest data exchange rate, and even if you are not in a suitable area, EDGE and GPRS ensure that you are never without a link to the world around you.

The Nokia E7 is undoubtedly a great looking handset. The large display dominates the front of the phone, with just a single Home button located centrally beneath it. The majority of the phones housing is constructed from anodised aluminium, making the phone feel high end, as well as adding extra points in the durability department. At 123.7 x 62.5 x 13.6mm, the overall dimensions are very similar to those found on the N8, despite the additional features found on this new model. These features include the excellent quality AMOLED screen, which now measures a great 4 inches. The touchscreen is capacitive, meaning it is very responsive to touch. With a proximity sensor and accelerometer built in, the handset automatically rotates the screen when necessary and locks the keypad during calls, preventing accidental button presses during your conversation.

The Nokia E7 offers the superb functionality we have come to expect from modern smartphones, with the added bonus of the physical keypad, which will attract a different breed of consumer to this impressive new model.