if you don't like N8, you pretty much hate E7 in one way or another.
but since you didn't mention what are the disappointments on N8, it's hard to even give you a comparison or tips on what to look out for.
to be fair, most N900 enthusiasts will fan you off from getting E7 over N900 as N900 has a powerful software side that E7 will not match although both N8 & E7 are built with quite a powerful ARM11 680MHz processor, my short review will compare mostly to N8 since i've all these devices on hand.


1) Display: E7 uses 4" with CBD, great if you are outdoor a lot, but N8 is not too bad with 3.5" AMOLED. but both having the same screen resolution.


2) Memory: N8 has microSD slot for up to 32GB card while E7 has not.


3) Screen lock: E7 on the left which is not ergonomic to me as i slide the switch using my right thumb.


4) Volume keys: E7 using a switch rocker which i see dust accumulating while N8 is using press keys.


5) Size: E7 has not the camera portion stick out although it's slightly thicker & bigger than N8. but i still don't like the rounded sides, it's just too slippery. E7 is not suitable for me as i usually put my phone in the pocket, it's slightly too big for me & the keyboard popup is annoying when i try to churn it out of my tight jeans. E7 is heavier, almost like N900.


6) Mic/Spk: i don't like both devices with the speaker at the back, i just can't hear a thing when i put it facing up. the mic for E7 is at the odd place, i've not really tried this one as i'm only using it on data & gonna return to my friend.


7) Power: same to N8, battery hidden inside. E7 has only microUSB for both charging & data transfer while N8 spots an additional power port at the bottom.


8) Menu button: E7 has a more sensible location of menu button in the middle while N8's is not friendly to people with short fingers or small hands, like me, a typical small size asian.


9) Text input: obviously the good part is E7 spots an additional QWERTY keyboard underneath the screen, it's pretty fast for me to type chinese characters with the keyboard comparing to the usual touch input on N8.


10) Build: same old problem with N8, they advertise how strong, scratch proof & robust the Al casting case & corning glass; but the top & bottom cap of the phone is normal plastic part & the paint will wear off over time, & scratches is easy; as E7 is new, no matt screen protector available to protect the screen from my oily fingers. E7 screen frame is plastic, probably will have this problem as well.


11) Software: if you don't like N8 running on the same S^3 OS, you'll not like E7. the only app that N8 didn't get FOC is QuickOffice.


i may not be entirely representative or correct as this is only my personal view. for spec comparison, you can check out Forum Nokia or Nokia website for more details.


on a not so related note, has anyone tried porting Maemo/Meego onto E7? is that possible? that'd be lovely.