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Microsoft has announced a new ultra-affordable mobile phone, the Nokia 215.
Clearly aimed at developing countries and first time mobile phone users, the 2G handset appears to essentially be a feature phone with a spread of smartphone capabilities.
The Nokia 215 sports an old fashioned form factor, with a classic physical numerical keypad and a portrait-aligned 2.4-inch 320 x 240 display. Meanwhile, its camera is a mere 0.3-megapixel example.
It does come with a handy torch, though, and you also get those long-forgotten battery life benefits. The Nokia 215 can apparently last 29 days on standby or 20 hours of talk time from a single charge.
Then of course there’s the low, low price tag - just $29, or around £19, before taxes and subsidies.
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Over on the official Lumia Conversations blog, the Nokia 215 is being referred to as an “Internet-ready entry-level phone.” While a little unwieldy, it’s a term that accurately sums up the 215’s appeal.
Sure enough, the Nokia 215 comes with Facebook and Messenger apps preinstalled, providing smartphone-like instant notifications from the premier social network. Twitter is also mentioned as being “easily accessible,” while Opera Mini Browser and Bing Search come as standard.
The Nokia 215 will start rolling out in single and dual-SIM variants later in the first quarter of 2015, starting in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.
