As the Finnish Telecommunications giant showed in 2012 when it debut the worlds first 41MP smartphone camera in Barcelona, Nokia once again showed that Mobile World Congress is an important event to showcase Nokia technologies and provide a sneak peek of the direction the team from Espoo will be taking in the coming year.
Nokia launched 4 devices that strengthen their mid and entry level segments.
Nokia 105 and Nokia 301 for the entry level feature phone segment.
Lumia 520 and Lumia 720 for entry and mid level smartphone segments. Read more about the Lumia devices here.
Nokia 105
If you thought the feature phone was dead, think again. There are still 2.7 billion people who haven’t bought their first phone yet. The Nokia 105 is the replacement for the Nokia 1280. Priced at 15 euros (20 dollars, 1750 KES). A sturdy little phone, the Nokia 105 focuses on the essential tasks SMS and Phone calls. It sports a dust proof key mat, 1.45″ color screen, a flash light, FM radio. From an application standpoint, it comes with some pre-loaded games, Nokia Life for entertainment and information. This basic phone lacks a camera and a browser.
The most powerful feature of the Nokia 105 is it’s power sipping design. It can retain a charge throughout a whole month. It will be available in two colors, Cyan and Black, from Q1 2013 starting with China, Egypt, Indonesia, Nigeria Russia, Vietnam then expanding to other markets including Africa in Q2.
Nokia 301
The Asha range, the Nokia 301 redefines what a feature phone can do. Nokia worked hard to filter some off the innovation in the Lumia line of devices down to their low end devices. The 301 comes with the data saving Nokia Express browser, a smart 3.2 MP camera, Microsoft exchange and a plethora of smart apps.
The 301 can take panorama images and a simplified version of Smart-shoot where the camera takes several sequential images to ensure the best shot is captured. This image can then be shared via social networks or using “Slam” a fast sharing option for Bluetooth file transfer (it takes a second to transfer to a phone that is extremely close to yours.
It’s available in 5 colors and comes in single SIM and dual SIM versions.
Tech specs
System: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 900/2100, 850/1900
Size & weight: 114 x 50 x 12.5 mm; 102g
Display: 2.4” QVGA TFT colour display
Memory: Up to 256MB, 64MB RAM (plus up to 32GB microSD card)
Connectivity: 2.0 mm Charger Connector, 3.5 mm AV Connector, Bluetooth 3.0