Nokia Launches its $100 Nokia Asha Smartphones in Kenya

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Asha-502-Dual-SIM-KSP-1-jpg If you have been  looking out for an affordable smartphone Nokia has you covered.  The Finish firm has today launched its Nokia Asha 500, 502 and 503 in the Kenyan market and are selling for around $150 or less depending on where you buy it.

The firm says its new Nokia Asha 503, available in Kenya as a single SIM phone is the first 3.5G model in the new generation of Asha Platform smartphones and spots a unique layered design and a scratch-resistant, curved Gorilla® Glass screen. It has a 5MP camera and LED flash at just Ksh 10,500.*

The second piece, is a Nokia Asha 502,  is a dual SIM phone and is retailing at Ksh 9,700* while the Nokia Asha 500 will be retailing for Ksh 7,600*. The firm said that the Nokia Asha 502 and 503 will be available in the country as Easy Swap dual SIM variants to allow Kenyans swap between SIM cards on the go for better tariffs.

The phones haven’t been made available to us for review but the firm says the Nokia Asha 503 and the Nokia Asha 502, are the first Asha Platform devices with a built-in five megapixel camera with LED flash and features a full-touch display and fully redesigned user interface.

For navigating the phone, swipe is the main tool used either for answering a call, viewing notifications or closing an app or when activating the built-in camera.

The phones boast of Fastlane, a shortcut to a users activities, calender, appointments and recently accessed apps, features and content. Other great apps available include WhatsApp,  WeChat, Line, eBuddy and Nimbuzz and many others.

Basic Specs

Nokia Asha 503

 

  • Display: 3” scratch-resistant curved Gorilla glass screen
  • Weight: 110.2g
  • Standby time, single SIM: up to 35 days
  • Standby time, Dual SIM: up to 20 days
  • Network: 3.5G
  • Camera: 5MP camera with flash
  • Other: Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM
  • Recommended retail price: KES 10 500
  • Available in black

 

Nokia Asha 502

  • Display: 3” QVGA screen
  • Weight: 100g (including battery)
  • Standby time: up to 24 days
  • Network: 2G
  • Camera: 5MP camera with flash
  • Other: Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM
  • Recommended retail price: KES 9 700
  • Available in bright red and black

 

Nokia Asha 500

  • Display: 2.8” QVGA screen
  • Weight: 101.3g
  • Standby time, single SIM: up to 35days
  • Standby time, Dual SIM: up to 22days
  • Network: 2G
  • Camera: 2MP
  • Other: Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM
  • Recommended retail price: KES 7 600
  • Available in bright red, white and black
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Sam Wakoba
Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Sam Wakoba is a pan-African technology journalist, author, entrepreneur, technology business mentor, judge, educationalist, and a sought-after speaker and panelist across Africa’s innovation ecosystem. He is the convenor of the popular monthly #TechNight evening event and the #StartupEast Awards and Conference, platforms that bring together startup founders, developers, entrepreneurs, investors, content creators, and tech professionals from across the continent. For more than 16 years, Sam has reported on and analysed Africa’s technology landscape, covering some of the continent’s most impactful, and at times controversial policies, programs, investors, co-founders, startups, and corporations. His work is known for its independence, depth, and fairness, with a singular goal of helping build and strengthen Africa’s nascent technology ecosystem. Beyond journalism, Sam is a business analyst and consultant, working with brands, universities, corporates, SMEs, and startups across East Africa, as well as international companies entering the East African market or scaling across Africa. In his free time, he volunteers as a consulting editor and fintech analyst at Business Tech Kenya, a business, technology, and data firm that publishes reports, reviews, and insights on business and technology trends in Kenya. Follow him on X: @SamWakoba