Nokia unveils £65 budget phone with 48 DAYS of standby battery life
- Handset aimed at consumers who cannot afford a smartphone
- Boasts 17 hours of talk time, 56 hours of music playback and 48 days of standby time - and one model can hold two sim cards
- Comes as Apple believed to be preparing budget iPhone
By Mark Prigg
|
Nokia has revealed a budget phone with a 48 day standby time.
The Asha 501 is aimed at people who cannot afford a smartphone, but want to upgrade.
Nokia has worked with developers such as Facebook and Twitter to make apps for the phone.
Scroll down for video
The low-income smartphone: Nokia says it's aiming to make 'high-end design and quality accessible to more people' with the launch of its new Asha 501, 1200 mAh battery and accompanying software platform
ASHA IN NUMBERS
Dimensions: 99.2 x 58 x 12.1 mm; 91 grams
Camera: 3.2 MP
Talk time: up to 17 hours
Memory: 4GB (card included in box), expandable up to 32GB
Available colours: Bright Red, Bright Green, Cyan, Yellow, White and BlackForty free EA Games worth €75 downloadable from Nokia Store
It offers 17 hours of talk time, 56 hours of music playback and 48 days of standby time on 2G networks, the Finland based phone manufacturer says.
'The new Nokia Asha 501 raises the
bar for what is possible in affordable smartphone design and
optimisation,' said Timo Toikkanen, executive vice president, Mobile
Phones, Nokia.
'The synergy between the physical
design and the engine that is the new Asha platform has created a
smartphone with both style and substance at a great price.'
It comes as Apple is believed to be preparing a budget version of its iPhone with a plastic case, which could go on sale later this year according to some reports.
Nokia says it’s aiming to make
‘high-end design and quality accessible to more people’ with the launch
of its new Asha 501, 1200 mAh battery and accompanying software
platform.
The Asha 501 will come in red, blue, black, yellow, white and green while its hardware is set to include a 3″ multi-touch screen, Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as 3.2 Mega Pixel camera and a MicroSD memory option, which is expandable up to 32 GB.
Experts say the handset could prove popular with budget buyers.
'Nokia has surpassed expectations of what’s achievable in the sub-100 USD phone category with a new Asha handset that is unlike any other, with design cues from Lumia and a mix of features, services and affordability that is valued by price-conscious buyers,' said Neil Mawston, executive director, Global Wireless Practice, Strategy Analytics.
'This is a welcome addition to the market and a refreshing option for consumers looking to upgrade from feature phones.'
Multiple colors: The Asha 501 will come in red, blue, black, yellow, white and green
The Asha 501 will not support 3G or 4G data speeds, though the phone will comes equipped with the new Nokia Xpress Browser, according to Nokia.
Xpress Browser compresses Internet data by ‘up to 90 per cent,’ the phone manufacturer says, which would make mobile browsing more accessible in emerging markets and offer all users cheaper data options.
The
company’s new Asha mobile operating system has already attracted app
developers from some of the most popular content creators for Apple’s
iOS and Google’s Android.
Those apps include Facebook, Foursquare, LinkedIn, CNN, ESPN, The Weather Channel and Twitter.
Hardware: The Asha 501's hardware is set to include a 3¿ multi-touch screen, Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as 3.2 Mega Pixel camera and a MicroSD memory option, which is expandable up to 32 GB
Nokia is working with wireless carrier Airtel and Facebook to provide free data access through the Asha Facebook app and all mobile Facebook web pages to Asha 501 users connected to Airtel neworks in Africa and India.
‘The collaboration with Nokia is in
line with our strategy of enabling people to access data in Africa as we
seek to bridge the digital divide across the continent,’ Andre Beyers,
Airtel Africa’s chief marketing officer, said in statement about the
partnership.
‘The provision of free Facebook access is an excellent proposition to the millions of Airtel consumers.’
The
Asha 501 will be available in Asia Pacific, India, the Middle East,
Africa, Latin America and Europe starting June 2013 for an unsubsidized
cost of £65 ($99), a Nokia spokesperson told ABC News.
- FBI surrounds house of Saudi student after sightings of him...
- Inside the Paris apartment untouched for 70 years: Treasure...
- 'I will always love youuuuuuuuu': Woman kicked off plane for...
- Kate's Coronation baby: Duchess's due date revealed as...
- Gambler won £7.8m by 'reading' the back of cards: How tiny...
- Ariel Castro's brothers reveal they saw him at McDonald's...
- Are these the worst subway passengers of all time? Bloggers...
- Police release footage of the horrific moment Mother's Day...
- Body of missing 18-month-old girl found on Kansas farm
- Officer is reunited with suicidal man he talked down from...
- The moment Amanda Berry escaped: Chilling video shows kidnap...
- Judge bans girl, 14, from EVERY school in the county after...
got me an asha 201 and the battery lasts about a week, not bad for 12gbp off ebay
- jimmy f , manchester, United Kingdom, 13/5/2013 19:51
Report abuse