Nokia E6, Nokia X7: Symbian’s Last Stand. Release Date: Q2

The Nokia E6 and Nokia X7 will be the first Nokia Smarpthones to run on what could possibly be the last major Symbian update before Windows Phone 7 replaces Symbian as the OS for Nokia Smartphones. This comes via an official Nokia press release.

In the same press release that announced the Nokia X7 and the E6, Nokia mentioned that Symbian Anna will come with a new browser, portrait QWERTY and improved text input.

Here’s a Nokia-produced video on what’s new in Symbian Anna:

Note: I find it a little funny that Nokia believes new icons are really an improvement.

But it’s not just the Nokia E6 and the Nokia X7 that will get Symbian Anna. The updated OS will come pre-installed on new Nokia E7, C6-01, C7 and N8 smartphones. A downloadable version will be made available for units not in Nokia hands.

Nokia E6 – Specs, Price, Release Date

Nokia’s official tagline for the E6 is “a sleek business smartphone”. And I must say the physical QWERTY, as well as the overall design (glass and stainless steel) make it look like a perfect match match for any suit-head out there. Another interesting thing is that the Nokia E6 will come with full support for Microsoft Exchange, Sharepoint and Microsoft Communicator Mobile.

Although the Nokia E6 screen is just 2.5 inches wide, the 640×480 pixel resolution allow the small fellow to show details like a mother. Other specs include a 8 MP camera (with dual flash), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n support and 720p video recording.

According to the press release, the Nokia E6 release date will come before the end of June. There is no official word on the price, but Reuter claims the Nokia E6 will be priced around 340 Euros.

Nokia X7 – Specs, Price, Release Date

The Nokia X7 is marketed as an “entertainment” smartphone, although we’re not actually sure what that means. The 4-inch OLED ClearBack display is something we like, but the inability to record in full HD (720p is max) via its 8MP camera doesn’t seem like high end when it comes to multimedia.

The X7 is believed to be based on the same (antiqued) 680MHz ARM 11 processor that you can find in the N8 and E7. In addition, the X7 and the E7 share the same Broadcom BCM2727 GPU.

The Nokia X7 will be available with Three in the UK, although there is no exact Nokia X7 release date. Instead, we get the same Q2 timeframe as with the E6. According to Reuters, the Nokia X7 will be priced at around 380 Euros.

Judging by the specs, I’m really hoping that this is just Nokia’s last attempt to gain some moolah from their previous (and unsuccessful) line of smartphones. Hope they won’t play the same game when they actually release a Windows Phone 7 smartphone.