Nokia Asha 202 Review

Well, this is a bit off-topic but I couldn't resist the 'urge' to be one of the firsts to have reviewed something. And when I have the latest one first, there my 'keeda' wakes up. So here's my review of Nokia's latest offering - Nokia Asha 202. (Thanks to my friends who works for Nokia, for earliest delivery of this handset).

I have always been an oldie when it comes to mobile phone. I hate touch screens. Talking about qwerty phones - one I am using nowadays is getting me addicted to physical qwerty keyboards. But still, no one can beat good old NumPad keypad. You can blindly type things you want without looking at keyboard. That is the reason I love basic candybar phones with NumPad. And that is the reason I was waiting for this 'Touch 'n Type' entry level offering by Nokia. Lets have a look at main points of spec.

Camera : 2 MP

Screen Size : 2.4 inch Resistive Touch screen

Battery : 1020 mAh

Video : 176 x 144 15 fps (read - very bad)

Music : All basic formats, and FM with Recording

Card Slot : Upto 32 GB

Sim : Dual SIM (no dual standby)

Dimensions : 114.8 x 49.8 x 13.9 mm  (90 grams weight)

Price in India : 4,149 Rs. (approx in India) (6500 PKR in Pakistan)

My Take :

Let me talk about the bad things first. Its internal memory sucks. Only 10 MB !! Even my older one, Nokia 5220 xpressmusic had 40 MB of internal memory. That makes the phone a bit slow if you install many apps on phone memory. Next one is the video resolution. I mean come on, why are they still stuck with same old resolution when for few more bucks I can even record 720p video?

Now the good things : First is the appearance. Though its bit bulky, being 13.9 mm thick, it doesn't harm much when you hold in your hands. And the good old Nokia sturdiness is there as usual. Though the keypad reminds me of Nokia 2630 (one of my favs of past years) it feels smooth while typing and works like charm. Display is good, nothing notable I can expect for this kind of budget phone.

Connectivity : The thing I look for in most phones. I am not a person of words. I don't call much neither text. (Though there is no complaint with the handset in both sections) The phone is 2G. So do not expect faster data and things like that. But still, with a 2G internet plan, you get sufficient speeds to surf all the mobile content. Add Opera Mini, and things go perfect. For downloads, UC Browser is my favorite.

Music : This is not a music phone. So no sidekeys, unlike X2-02. But still, with its 3.5mm jack, and an apt loudspeaker, serves the purpose satisfactorily. As always, the bundled headphones didn't work for me. But my good old Panasonic in-ear phones rocked. Its been only few hours since I got hands on this - but I couldn't find an equilizer in this one. Hmmm.... Oh, and FM with recording is nice as always.

Camera : Just like any other 2 MP camera Nokia offers, this one DOES the job. Photos that are good for online sharing, that's the thing we want, isn't it? Oh and forgot to add few lines about the touch screen. Its not a multi touch nor capacitive. A resistive touch screen is less sensitive, but good for few strokes to open menu and make selections. That's it.

Games : 40, yes 40 awesome EA games official download within first month for free. Yes, yes, can't wait to download all. So far, only NFS is played by me. Let me checkout some more.

So, overall at 4000 bucks this phone is a good buy if you are a lover of old styled candybar phones. Go for it if you need a standby or 'second' phone besides your regular 'smart'phone. Or gift one to your parents, they'll surely love it.

Image Courtesy : Phonearena

Tags: Nokia Asha 203 mobile review, Nokia 202 review, Nokia Asha Review, Nokia Asha Price in India, Pakistan, review of nokia asha 202, 203 review, nokia asha games download, EA Games free voucher, nokia asha comes with music