The Affordable Nokia Asha 302 on Three
Three, arguably the UK’s favourite network, has recently launched the Nokia Asha 302 through its retailers. With Three understanding customers’ needs to be constantly connected to the Internet and not needing tens of thousands of text messages each month, it tailors its packages to be geared for the modern smartphone user. There are three deals that the Nokia is available One called The One Plan, Essential Internet and All in One. Each are slightly different but perfect for the average smartphone user.
Whatever deal you choose there is something about opting for the underdog that is Nokia. While Samsung and Apple are selling 30+ million handsets a year, Nokia are claiming just a tenth of that but many people want to be different and not follow the crowds, and the Asha 302 certainly fits the bill. You get a QWERTY keypad for starters, which is so much faster and easier to use than touchscreen. There are shortcut keys for even faster, on-the-fly text changes for WiFi, SMS and Bluetooth and for all of your social media updates their notifications are sent directly to the home screen so you will never miss an important message.
At 106 grams it’s One of the lightest smartphones out there. It feels tiny also at just 115mm long but its 13.5mm thick so it’s chunky enough so you don’t lose it. The screen quality is where the Nokia Asha 302 really makes itself known. With 2048 x 1536 pixels the clarity and sharpness is arguably better than that of the Super AMOLED screens that Samsung churn out. On-board storage is fairly weak at just 100MB but thankfully you can slide a 32GB microSD card in it. There is an RDS radio and media player installed too so your music needs are quenched too.
The casing of the Asha is a metallic surround with that dark black screen. It looks very elegant and upmarket but it has a more mature feel to it compared to the cutesy Samsung units or the characterless iPhones. As the two top smartphone makers have been dominating the market for some time now, it’s nice to see a different phone hit the shelves. Three is taking the Nokia Asha 302 to the UK with a storm and its price point is the most intriguing part here. On the Mobile Phone Checker website you can get One of these phones on contract for as little as £15 per month. That’s incredible pricing for something that is so pretty looking and teeming with technology – and isn’t made by Samsung.
If you just can’t get to grips with touchscreens and like to type or text quickly then you’ll love the Nokia. BlackBerry have QWERTY keypads too but their screens are tiny and the look dated compared to the Asha so if you want a real keypad on a funky phone that has plenty to shout about in the specification department then the Nokia could well be the One for you. The price alone should make your ears prick up too!