I started from the very first Nokia Communicator, the Nokia 9000i and worked my way up to the E7. Here's how it went.
I started in September of 2017 with the Nokia 9000i. This was short lived, I couldn't get the Nokia 9000i to connect to my network provider. However, should it have worked it'd have been a mixed bag. While you could still call and receive texts, browsing the web would be next to impossible (and expensive), and retrieving email would also cost a pretty penny over time. So for all intents and purposes, at least in Scandinavia the 9000i is useless.
Next up, was the Nokia 9110i. Now this worked, but with drops in service. I'm guessing Telia has stopped providing some frequencies for cell use. When it did work however, I was able to send text messages and make calls like any other phone. Using the internet on the phone wasn't a pleasureable experience. I was able to manually set up the network settings for Telia (previously NetCom) and use GPRS data to quickly and painfully browse the web. Google worked, but in grayscale and on a small screen, it wasn't really a viable solution. I didn't bother with email, I don't think the built in security supports Gmail or the other email providers I use.
The Nokia 9210i which was next, was pretty much the same experience as the 9110i but in color. Using the phone to make calls and send texts were a mixed bag. Often, I'd have no coverage. However, when it worked it worked fine. Using the internet was the same as the 9110i, painful. Again, I skipped trying to set up an email account.
The Nokia 9300i. Now this is where things start to get a little interesting. While the 9000i-9210i would work where cell coverage has the old GSM networks, the 9300i seemed to be more adapt to working in late 2017. Calls and SMS's came through no problem, the internet while sluggish, was a bit more usable. I didn't test out too many websites, but Google and Reddit worked relatively well.
The Nokia 9500 is the same experience as the 9300i. It's basically the same phone so what I wrote above applies to 9500.
The Nokia E90 which I used the longest really surprised me. Now this phone basically works just like it did when new. Calls and SMS features work flawlessly, internet (via Yandex) worked fine. Web browsing was slow, but the E90 seemed more willing to work with more websites. Google loaded fine, as did Reddit. This blog worked fine, as did other sites like NY Times, Craigslist and a few others.
The Nokia E7. I had high hopes for the Nokia E7. Since it was released only six years ago, it should have been the strongest contender to work in 2018. It's sitting next to me, and I've been using it for about a week now and I'm tired of it. If you plan on using it to text and make calls, it's a great phone. For everything else, it's a fail.
The reason for that is the Nokia E7 was the first Nokia phone to be connected to an ecosystem. Applications require connectivity to Nokia servers, which means none of the apps really work. Email is a no go as it seems it needs to retrieve data from Nokia servers instead of connecting directly to Gmail or other email providers. The same for the built in browser. It doesn't want to connect no matter if I'm on WIFI or 3G. Opera works, but with issues. Some SIS files are outdated that I've tried to install thanks to certificates. (I've found a couple of work arounds, more on that at a later date.)
The E90 stands alone, it came before Nokia started its failed ecosystem that the E7 is tied to. So out of the Communicators that still function to a degree where I'd feel comfortable using it, the E90 is the Communicator to opt for. If you'd just like a nice keyboard to type on, the E7 is still a great choice. But don't expect much in terms of internet connectivity.
I'll continue to experiment with all the Communicators, I might even try setting up email on the 9XXX series to see what happens. I'll keep this page updated.
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