Nokia Unveils Three New Asha Feature Phones

Nokia today unveiled three Asha touchscreen phones, further expanding its portfolio of mid-range feature phones aimed at emerging markets.

Nokia has struggled with sales of its smartphones in recent times, but has enjoyed continued success with its range of feature phones. The Asha range was unveiled last October as part of the company company’s strategy to attract the “next billion” consumers, pointing towards emerging markets.

The newest additions to the range, the Nokia 305, 306 and 311, promise a smartphone experience without the associated data costs and short battery life.

Asha Wednesday

“By introducing the Asha Touch phones to the market, we’re accelerating our commitment to connect the next billion consumers,” said Mary T. McDowell, Nokia’s executive vice president for mobile phones. “These phones deliver on what young, urban people value most – a great-looking device; and an intuitive and affordable experience for connecting to the internet, to their friends, and to a world of entertainment, web apps and content.”

The Nokia Asha 311 is a 3.5G feature phone, has a scratch-resistant capacitive touch screen, a 1GHz processor and a 3.2 megapixel camera, while the Asha 305 is a dualband, dual SIM feature phone with a 2 megapixel camera. The Nokia 306 has all the features of the 305, but also has WLAN capabilities, with Nokia billing it as as the most affordable Wi-Fi phone that it has ever sold.

All phones feature Nokia Browser 2.0, which the Finnish manufacturer claims can reduce data consumption by up to 90 percent using its cloud technology and load webpages three times faster. Customers will receive 40 free games from EA, including Tetris and FIFA, while they will also have access to the Nokia Store. According to Nokia, 42 percent of all content downloaded from the store between January and April was to an Asha or Nokia java phone.

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