We’ve waited and waited, and now we finally have the Nokia E71x readily available from AT&T. This is the branded variant of our favorite E71, and it comes with 2 main differences – the sexy black color scheme and S60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 (as opposed to Feature Pack 1 on the unbranded unit). I’ve checked a few contacts, and confirmed that there is no way to ‘upgrade’ your unbranded handset to Feature Pack 2- it has to be purchased with it from AT&T, unfortunately.
The E71x from AT&T is priced at $99 after a 2-year contract and $100 mail-in rebate, and I’m pretty sure that rebate requires you to add-on a data package. Due to AT&T’s stupid rules, the E71x, since it has a smartphone operating system AND a QWERTY keyboard, requires the $30 PDAconnect data package, which offers the same speed and access as the $15 MEdiaNet plan, but simply costs twice as much. If you’re using an unbranded E71, you should be fine with the cheaper data package.
You could also just buy the unbranded unit for $320 from Amazon. Let’s do some quick math, shall we? Assuming you’ll have the same voice package, and keep the phone for 2 years, let’s see the difference in cost:
E71x – $99 for the phone, plus $30 x 24 months = $819
E71 – $320 for the phone, plus $15 x 24 months = $680
You’ll save $139 over 2 years by snagging the unbranded unit, but you’ll have paid more upfront. Pick your poison, people. (Thanks, Josh, for the correction)
