The E72's camera is a five-megapixel affair, while the E71 only had a 3.2-megapixel camera. The device also appears to have a new speaker at the back of the phone.

Nokia says the E72 uses active noise cancellation to make calls clearer. The handset also has a 3.5mm headphone jack — unlike its predecessor — so standard headphones can be used without an adaptor.

In terms of its dimensions, the E72 is almost identical to the E71 — it is the same height and thickness, but is 1mm wider and a gram heavier.

The E72's 3G data connectivity specifications are superior to those of the E71, which has 3.6Mbps HSDPA. The updated handset takes that downlink speed to 10.2Mbps, and also has HSUPA uplink speeds of up to 2Mbps.

A new version of the QuickOffice productivity suite is included, offering compatibility with Microsoft Office 2007 formats. Preinstalled email clients include Mail for Exchange and IBM Lotus Notes Traveller.

The E72 will go on sale at the end of the third quarter for €350 (£300) before tax and operator subsidies.