The Nokia Asha 201 is the first of Nokia’s new Asha range of feature phones to hit the UK. Nokia is targetting at the PAYG market, with its full QWERTY keyboard, it is clearly suitable for anyone who wants to make calls, send messages and browse the internet.
We were first introduced to the Asha range at Nokia World last year, along with the Nokia Asha 200. Asha means hope in Hindi and the range is aimed at the developing market.
The Nokia Asha 201 is aimed at the Western market, while the dual-sim, but otherwise identical Nokia Asha 200 is aimed at developing markets, such as India.
On launch Nokia stated that the the Asha range would: ‘blur the lines with smartphones.’ Looking at the specification sheet of the Nokia 201, it appears to be more of a feature phone than a smartphone.
Running Nokia OS, there’s GPRS, but no 3G, WiFi or GPS. Stereo Bluetooth is included though.
In addition, the 2.4-inch screen isn’t a touchscreen, so navigation is performed using the solid controller.
There’s a music player supporting mp3 playback, along with a wide range of other formats. Take photographs using the 2-megapixel camera, which can also capture basic video.
What’s really impressive about the Nokia Asha 201 is the battery. Nokia promises a staggering 888 hours of standby time, 52 hours of music playback and seven hours talk time, something we can’t wait to test.
The Nokia Asha 201 is available now from Vodafone, where it costs £45. We’re going to be reviewing it very soon, but here’s a quick look at what’s in the box.
The Nokia Asha 201 comes with a Nokia charger (not micro USB unfortunately), headphones and instruction leaflet
The Nokia Asha 201 included a BL-5J battery, which has a very impressive 888 hours standby and well over two days of music playback
There’s a 2-megapixel camera on board, which shoots 176×144 footage at 10fps
Connections are located along the top of the Asha 201 and includ a 3.5mm jack, micro USB port for charging and a proprietary charger. Located on the side of the phone is the sim-card slot
Navigate using the four-way controller and right and left command keys. There are also shortcut keys for messaging, internet, call accept and call cancel
The full QWERTY keyboard is spread over four lines, shortcuts at the bottom, include bluetooth and lock. Although there’s not much space between the keys, they are a reasonable height
Running Nokia’s proprietary operating system, the main menu follows a very simple grid layout with clear icons you navigate using the controller
You can customise the main menu with favourite contacts and sign in to a social network like Facebook and Twitter
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