The Asha series may not represent Nokia’s hotly desired high-end line-up, but it has a modest range of devices you’d equally consider interesting. Like any previous entry on the Asha range, Nokia Asha 500, 502 and Asha 503 don’t possess that same wow feeling you’d get on pricier rivals like the S4, you’d however still manage to make those calls, send texts as well as socialize with friends at an amazingly low cost. Just like we’d hoped for, the new Asha arrivals incorporates that same impressive design we’d seen on 501 but stretches boundaries a little further with smartphone like apps onboard. The Asha 500, Asha 502 and 503 all feature Nokia’s typical mid-range-device design with a few tweaks here and there resulting in a crystal bold look that many fans would appreciate.
Nokia’s Asha platform looks rather outdated, it’s my honest take on a traditional Symbian based operating system in an era that’s trounced by highly efficient and app rich platforms like android, iOS and windows phone. The latest entrants aren’t any close to pricier flagships from other manufactures and I wouldn’t attempt advising otherwise, however, they’ve a reasonable price tag in their favor. The Asha 500 is an entry-level device by all means, it favors Symbian instead of Nokia’s premium windows OS, but it still manages to impress on areas that count. Underneath is a 1GHz processor which in my opinion is too ambitious for an entry level device running on Symbian software, Nokia on its part acknowledges the processor speed and even brags to be the fastest in the segment. There’s a 2.8 inch capacitive panel and a 2megapixels snapper onboard, though we’d hoped for better specs.
Nokia Asha 502 brings dual-sim capability into play, it still manages to keep a 5megapixels snapper but with a slightly larger 3 inch display panel. The dual-sim functionality was well crafted to suite the desired target market, the ability to have separate active sim cards on a single device is by far cost-effective that any feature you’d think of. The Asha 503 has the same 3inch screen and a 5megapixels but with a corning gorilla glass for scratch protection. It also has a 3G radio onboard. The Nokia Asha 500, Asha 502 and Asha 503 will be available in bright red, bright green, yellow, cyan, white and black, and are planned to start shipping in Q4 2013.
Nokia Asha 500 Price in Kenya: USD69
Nokia Asha 502 Price in Kenya: USD89
Nokia Asha 503 Price in Kenya: USD99