The new old-school Nokia 130 comes in single or dual-SIM versions and goes on sale in China, India and Africa.
A new budget mobile phone that can play movies, has a one-month battery life and is cheaper to buy than one of the top-up cards it uses has been unveiled.
Nineteen euros won’t buy you much in this day and age, but it will buy you a no-frills Nokia phone. The Nokia 130 is an old-school mobile phone at an old-school price for developing markets, with basic smartphone features like music and video in a phone that will last over a month before it needs juicing up.
The Nokia 130 will target the growing ‘second phone’ market among people who need a back-up handset or don’t want to risk their expensive smartphone at music festivals or on holidays.
It’s estimated one in 10 smartphone users damage or lose their devices, with cracked screens being the most common complaint. Battery life on most smartphones is also a widespread problem, with many devices requiring ‘top up’ charges during the day.
The new budget device from Nokia can last on standby for 36 days, or 13 hours’ continuous talk time. The phone, which comes without apps or a touchscreen, can also play movies and music on its color display through a memory card.
This new phone is one of the first to be announced since Microsoft bought the phone-manufacturing part of Finnish company Nokia. Although the 130 isn’t a Windows Phone, it is an opportunity for Microsoft to use Nokia’s popularity to attack more of the budget end of the market in these regions.
Microsoft says the Nokia 130 will go on sale in selected countries, including China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam during this quarter. Both the single and dual-SIM models will cost the equivalent of 19 euros (about £15, $25, or AU$28) when bought unlocked and SIM-free.
It’s an 1.8-inch color screen above its retro nine-button keypad. The 130 comes encased in white, black or red.
With its basic design still come a few features that you’d find on a more powerful smartphone, including music and video. Powered by Series 30+ software, the 130 has a microSD slot for up to 32GB of MP3s or video. It has an FM radio built in-too.
The battery is the 130’s most impressive feature, lasting 36 days on standby, while most smartphones last little more than 36 hours.
Two versions versions are available – a single-SIM version and a model that holds two SIM cards. Dual-SIM phones are useful for anyone who wants to combine their work and personal numbers in one phone, or hand out different numbers to their significant others and their bits on the side.
Plans to roll out a version for the US and Canada are in the works, but since there’s a great demand for second phones here the the US you’re sure to see one soon.
