Nokia Asha 300 hands-on Review

Nokia might have focused much of its attention to high-end windows devices at the expense of budget handsets, but we didn’t, we’ve decided to go hands-on on Nokia Asha 300 bringing out its drawbacks as well as pros with respect to the entry-level genre. Although Nokia Asha 300 costs less than its sibling Asha 303, it houses some serious specifications that are dearer even to Asha 303 such as a 5.0 megapixel primary camera compared to a 3.2 megapixel on its sibling. it falls under the entry-level genre and costs about Kshs.12500 ($140) in Kenya, which means, we’ll cut short on expectations; but one thing is for sure; Nokia Asha 300 has a snappier processor than any device we’ve seen below its price tag, at 1GHz, the phone is fast enough to execute media rich applications without any noticeable lag. Since it costs less than Asha 303, we expected some hardware compromises such as a resistive touch screen instead of a capacitive touch panel as witnessed on its sibling.

Though Nokia Asha 300’s design isn’t as stylish as we wanted, it’s perfectly inline with the price tag. The phone is housed in a pretty basic body with an alphanumeric keypad just below the resistive touch-screen. It has a rounded bottom which looks reasonably classy, adding the much needed quality feel. The keys themselves are pleasingly spaced out contrary to its immediate sibling, so you shouldn’t slip up when tying quickly. The spacing was achieved due to an alphanumeric keypad instead of a QWERTY typing panel. Although Nokia Asha 300 isn’t as slim as other devices we’ve seen within its category (12.7mm to be precise), it weighs lighter than most (85g) making carrying around a pleasant experience, and it can fit perfectly in those skinny jeans without a hassle and you’ll hardly notice you’re carrying it. It comes with a 2.4inch resistive touch screen instead of a capacitive one which is an understandable compromise is given its pricing. You’ll not experience a smooth navigation as on more luxurious smart phones but just enough to experience a touch-screen’s convenience.
Nokia Asha 300 is powered by an up to date 1GHz processor, which makes this handset snappier than most in its category. At this speed, opening web pages and apps should be quite rapid. A 1GHz processor can only be found on mid-range Android devices costing twice as much, Symbian OS is lighter than Android OS; hence, this phone should move like a fighter jet. One area that Nokia Asha 300 beats its aforementioned sibling is a 5.0 Megapixel camera which is a pleasant surprise considering everything else. There is only 140MB onboard memory which can be extended up to 32GB using an external MicroSD.
Nokia Asha 300 Features/Specifications;
  • Operating System: Symbian 40 software
  • Processor: 1GHz
  • Display : 2.4inch (240x320p) (167ppi) TFT Resistive touch screen, 256k colors
  • Primary Camera: 5.0 Megapixel (2592x1944p) fixed focus
  • Storage: Up to 32GB MicroSD, 140MB storage, 128MB RAM, 256MB ROM
  • Connectivity: MicroUSB v2.0, Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP, EDR
  • Internet: 3G 10.2Mbps HSDPA, 2Mbps HSUPA, Adobe Flash Lite
  • Other features: FM Radio with RDS, Sensors: Proximity
  • Battery: Standard Lithium ion 1110mAh
Nokia Asha 300Price in Kenya: Kshs.12,500.

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