An electronic apparatus having a user interface for symbol input is disclosed. The apparatus has a display and an input device having an elongated touch-sensitive sensor area and capable of detecting user actuations of a plurality of sensor positions along a main axis of the elongated touch-sensitive sensor area. The apparatus also has a processing device coupled to the display and the input device. In response to a user actuation of a current sensor position among said plurality of sensor positions of the input device, the processing device determines, from the current sensor position, a current symbol position in a symbol sequence, and then controls the display to indicate a current symbol held by the current symbol position in the symbol sequence.