Nokia Asha 311 review: A penny saved

Introduction

Nokia is still picking up pace in the smartphone market, with the Microsoft-driven Lumias yet to make the impact the Finns have been hoping for since the strategy reset. In the meantime, the company has been enjoying a pretty easy run in the featurephone market, which is now virtually free or real competition.

Nokia Asha 311 official photos

The Asha lineup is doing pretty well, as testified by the interest rates on this very website, but the long-term challenge for Nokia remains. Fending off entry-level smartphones and securing the future of the dumbphone kind may seem a futile effort, but the likes of the Asha 311 beg to differ.

Here's what the best spec'd member of the family has to offer:

Key features

• Quad-band GSM, GPRS, EDGE
• Penta-band 3G with 14.4Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps support
• S40-based Asha touch interface
• 3" WQVGA capacitive touchscreen, ~155 pixel density
• Corning Gorilla Glass, Polarizing filter
• 1GHz CPU, 128MB RAM
• Nokia Browser 2.0
• Nokia store and 40 EA games for free
• 3.15 MP camera, VGA video recording
• 140MB internal memory, microSD card support (up to 32 GB)
• Complimentary 2 GB microSD card in the box
• Proximity and ambient light sensors
• Accelerometer, display auto-rotation
• Bluetooth v2.1
• Standard microUSB port, charging
• 1100 mAh Li-Ion battery
• Excellent loudspeaker performance
• Good codecs support

Main disadvantages

• Low screen resolution
• Fixed-focus camera
• No smart dialing
• Costs as much as some smartphones

The Asha Touch interface cannot match the versatility of proper smart platforms with hundreds of thousands of available apps. However, the simple featurephone UI allows for superior performance on modest hardware.

Nokia Asha 311 uses that to its advantage and promises an experience that isn't far off similarly priced smartphones. What's more, the not-too-tech-savvy users targeted here will appreciate the simplicity and convenience.

The Nokia Asha 311 in our office

The Nokia Asha 311 has no illusions about its standing in the pecking order, but it shows commitment to hard work and desire to prove to users that they're making the right choice buying it. This one is not about boasting rights or acing benchmarks - yet you can count on a reasonably fluid touchscreen experience, solid connectivity and an app store.

Ready for the Nokia Asha 311? Join us after the break for the unboxing and hardware checkup.