Nokia Asha 501 Review

The Asha 501 resides within Nokia’s basement portfolio but it hardly disappoints on areas that count considering its offer price. The phone is no match for the likes of Galaxy S4 and the Optimus G Pro; it doesn’t even run on Nokia’s preferred high-end Windows Operating system – instead, it comes with the Asha platform 1.0 software installed. It has everything you’d expect on a device within its price range except for the lack of a 3G radio which’s its major drawback. Nokia Asha 501 is expected to retail in Kenya from Kshs 8,500, it’s the same kind of money you’d spend on budget android smart phone like Techno N3 though with superior specs; it makes little sense opting for the Asha 501 in this comparison but Nokia die-hards would still give it a chance considering the phone maker’s hardware reputation and a pocket-friendly tag.

Lack of a 3G radio has several implications that would scare off heavy data consumers; however, it has 2G data capability which’s considered out-dated and obvious for any data enabled device coming out now. Today’s high-end smart phones have a super-fast 4G capability which remains within fevered dreams for consumers opting for the Asha 501, the data speeds are understandably slow but that doesn’t warrant casting stones – at least not now. Browsing web-pages and downloading applications on this phone requires patience, even uploading photo’s on social networks like facebook is time consuming but that’s the price you should be willing to pay if your budget doesn’t add-up for a slightly expensive and more convenient smart phone like the Lumia 620. The other feature you’d need to fore-go at that price is a large display screen; Asha 501 comes with a 3inch panel – 0.5inches below what I’d consider reasonable.

The screen resolution isn’t as good as that found on its premium Lumia range siblings, therefore, beyond slow data speeds, you’ll have to deal with lots of scrolling here and there while browsing web-pages. The swappable cases make Asha 501 more fun and colorful – essentially allowing you to replace its back once it becomes rugged. The operating systems underneath is far from feature-packed, but its user friendly plus some pleasant additions such as the timeline bar, displaying recently called contacts as well as recently used apps. The app-store isn’t as big as that of android, but you’d still get common apps such as facebook, plants vs. zombies and twitter. Asha 501 is also available as 501 Dual with two Sim card slots onboard.

Nokia Asha 501/501 Duos Features/Specifications;

  • Operating System: Nokia Asha Software Platform 1.0 Operating System
  • Display: 3.0inch (320x240p pixels) (133ppi) TFT Capacitive panel
  • Camera: 3.15Megapixel (2048x1536pixels), Video: QVGA @15fps
  • Storage: 128MB Internal, 64MB RAM Up to 32GB MicroSD card 4GB included
  • Connectivity: MicroUSB v2.0, Bluetooth v3.0
  • Internet: WiFi 802.11b/g, GPRS: up to 85.6kbps, EDGE: up to 236.8kbps
  • Other ft: FM radio, Dual Sim support (Asha 501 Duos)
  • Battery: Standard Lithium Ion 1200mAh (BL-4U)

Nokia Asha 501 Price in Kenya: Ksh.8,500

1 COMMENT

  1. Sorry for the huge review, but I’m really loving the new Zune, and hope this, as well as the excellent reviews some other people have written, will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.

LEAVE A COMMENT

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here