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Nokia Asha 202 and 203.
Expected Q2 2012.
Nokia's "Asha" range of handsets are low cost but versatile feature phones, aimed at those
who don't want or cannot afford an expensive smartphone. The Nokia Asha 202 and Nokia Asha
203 are two of the simpler devices in this range, retailing for just €60 excluding
tax and subsidy.
Both handsets are very similar, the Asha 202 is a dual-SIM handset and the Asha 203 is
a traditional single-SIM device. The Asha 202 has an easy-swap SIM slot in the side
plus a SIM manager and a slightly different keyboard, and the single-SIM 203 comes in
two dual-band GSM variants compared to one for the 202 ,otherwise these two Asha phones
are the same.
It looks like a normal "candy bar" phone, but the 2.4" QVGA display is actually a basic
touchscreen panel, making this one of Nokia's "Touch and Type" range. Although this does
not offer the sophistication of a high-end device, these simple resistive panels are
quite useful.
On the back is a basic 2 megapixel camera, the Asha 202 and 203 support Bluetooth, come
with a microSD slot, have a media player, USB connectivity and an FM radio and also
a 3.5mm audio socket. This is a GSM-only device with GPRS and EDGE data support only, rather
than 3G. Overall the specifications are not bad for this sort of price, in our opinion.
This is a Series 40 device, so your choice of applications is a bit more limited. However,
it does come with Facebook and Twitter support, a web browser optimised for the relatively
slow data connection, some personal information management tools and it comes with 40 EA games
that can be downloaded from the Nokia Store.
Inside is a relatively large 1020 mAh battery that can power both phones for up to 5 hours
talktime and 16 days standby time in the case of the dual-SIM 202, with 27 days standby
time for the single-SIM 203. Both handsets measure 115 x 50 x 14mm and weigh 90 grams.
The Asha 202 will be available in black, sliver white, golden white, red and grey colours
and the 203 in silver white, red and grey only. Presumably some markets will have the
Asha 203 and some the Asha 202 although specialist retailers might be able to help you get the
dual-SIM version if you only have the 203 in your country. Nokia say that both handsets
should be available from Q2 2012.