Nokia Launches RM297 Touchscreen Smartphone
Nokia introduced the new Nokia Asha 501 in India today for only USD 99. With its funky colours, it is the first range of affordable smartphone running on the Asha platform. Nokia says the Asha 501 is aimed at emerging markets like India and Latin America, which makes us wonder, when will it arrive on Malaysian shores? A good enough smartphone but not for those who are used to the fancy SIIIs and i5s. Would you get an Asha 501 yourself?
By Mei Mei Chu — 09 May 2013, 05:43 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
Nokia launches budget level Asha 501 for $99
Nokia Malaysia today previewed the latest addition to the highly successful Asha smartphone family – the Nokia Asha 501, and looks to redefine the value smartphone market. The striking Asha 501 was...
The all-new Nokia Asha 501, is now available for sale at Nokia Store across Malaysia. Launched last month, the entry-level smartphone runs the latest Asha platform. The new Asha platform is built o...
Nokia Asha 501, A Budget Smartphone Priced Around RM295. One of the highlight of Nokia Asha 501 is its battery performance in which Nokia claimed the phone can stay up to 48 days in standby mode for single SIM and 26 days for Dual SIM version.
lewis.myNokia has unveiled the Nokia Asha 501, the first in a new affordable range of smartphones running on the Asha platform.
trustedreviews.comNokia unveiled a new mid-range Asha phone priced at $99, aiming to prevent consumers, particularly in emerging makets, from switching to Google's Android as they upgrade from basic phones.
fz.com
The Nokia Asha 501 is the first device to run on the new Asha platform, which is designed to make the experience faster and more responsive.
yahoo.comThe company said the Asha 501 will start shipping in June, and will be available through around 60 operators and distributors in over 90 countries.
fz.com
The Nokia Asha 501 is part of Nokia's budget range of phones, aimed at emerging markets like India and Latin America. It'll be available in Europe, but Nokia has said that it won't be shipping to North America any time soon -- if ever.
cnet.comIntroducing the Nokia Asha 501
Nokia Asha 501 allows you to easily connect to Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, Line, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and WeChat.
Image via slashgear.com
It features a 3-inch touchscreen and a single ‘back’ button in the middle-bottom. The device weighs in at a mere 98 grams, and there’s a rear-facing 3.2MP QVGA camera, but no front-facing camera.
The Asha 501 runs on Nokia's own Asha software rather than the swanky Windows Phone 8 software you'll find on the more premium Lumia line.
cnet.comWith a 3.2-megapixel camera, the Nokia Asha 501 offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and comes bundled with a 4GB memory card, but supports cards up to 32GB for expandable storage options.
trustedreviews.comBattery life on the handset certainly looks to be impressive with 17 hours of talk time and up to 48 days on standby on the single SIM version.
It also has many of the common apps you’d expect of any smartphone – including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Line, LinkedIn, WeChat and WhatsApp.
New features from the Asha 501
Nokia Asha comes in a range of playful colours which are removable and interchangeable.
Image via slashgear.comOne of the new features that were showcased at the unveiling of the device was the slick interface the handset uses with lots of swipes and taps when switching between features.
There are effectively two home screens: the standard app grid, called Home, and a new list-like view of recent activity called Fastlane.
engadget.comHome is the traditional, icon-based homescreen for individual apps and features launching, but the new Fastlane option presents all recently accessed apps, contacts and other features for a personalised user interface.
trustedreviews.comThe handset has the neat feature that allows users to quickly switch between 2 SIMs with a quick swipe and tap of the screen without the need of a reboot or removal of the battery.
The rear of the device is removable so owners can easily switch colours that in the usual Nokia style will be available in six options, black, green, cyan, red, white, and yellow.
Nokia Asha 501 hands on review
Asha 501 does what Nokia would argue only it can: distill the build quality and usability of a Lumia into something with the mass market reach of an Asha.
slashgear.comIt has a low-resolution capacitive touch screen and uses only 2G data networks, but it has a fun, vibrant, plastic design and a supercheap price tag of $99.
cnet.comIt doesn't have 3G radios, however, so your only options for pulling data are over 2G and WiFi.
engadget.comIt's aimed at developing markets like India and Latin America. It's cheap price and sturdy build quality might make it an option to pick up as an emergency festival phone, though.
cnet.comIn practice, it all works surprisingly well. Nokia isn’t talking processor speed or memory. Asha gives none of the sluggish reminder with every swipe that it’s a far cheaper phone.
slashgear.comREAD ALSO: Nokia Asha 210
READ NOW: A device equipped with a physical Qwerty keyboard and a hardware short-cut key to Whatsapp available in some of the brightest colours out there? Say "apa khabar" to Nokia's Asha 210!
says2.com