Nokia Asha 501 – a Specification Review

Read here the detailed review of Nokia Asha 501

Nokia has released yet another feature rich phone in to its Asha series. Dubbed Asha 501, the device is a low ranged phone. With the addition of the new Asha phone, Nokia is stretching its list. The Asha series has gained popularity very widely. With Asha 501, Nokia is getting ready to stir the market. Read here the detailed review of Nokia Asha 501.



Design:

The latest device from the Finnish cell phone manufacturer is really compact. Wit its attractive build and colours, Asha 501 stand a step up as it weighs comfortably lesser in hand. In the era of giant smartphones, Asha 501 will have a cute look for sure. The usual combination of bright colours and matte finishing gives the mobile a premium and cool look. Compared to the glossy, plasticky handsets out there in the market, the design choice of Nokia is really appreciable.

Nokia Asha 501

On the con side, the display screen of the mobile is really small. With a 3 inch size, the display is really limited, one could say. But other than that, there is no other faults. The capacitive c=screen is really responsive. Though the device lacks the protection of the gorilla glass, it has a very good scratch resistant coating. Again on the con side lies the absence of the Brightness sensor, but that will be shadowed by the presence of the proximity sensor.

There is a slot for the ear phones on the top of the screen. There is a back button, situated at the bottom of the screen. A microphone port is located at the bottom right corner. The power button is placed on the right hand side of the cell phone and the volume rocker is just above it. The top of the phone has a micro USB port, 3.5 mm audio jack and a 2mm pin charger slot. Altogether, the design of the Asha 501 smartphone keeps up the legacy of the Nokia handsets so far.

Display:

As we mentioned above, the Nokia Asha 501 has a 3 inch QVGA display. The display screen is made up of TFT screen technology. It has a resolution of 240×320 pixels and a pixel density of 133ppi. The capacitive multi touch screen is fairly vibrant. The User Interface is also brisk and quick responding. Other than the bit dull brightness of the screen and the smaller size, the screen of the Asha 501 is pretty good. Taking in to consideration the price tag of the phone, there will be no room for the complaints it seems.

Nokia Asha 501

OS:

Nokia’s new Nokia Asha software platform 1.0 is the operating system used in the phone. The entire operating system can be navigated using gestures and a single hardware back button can be seen below which is used to go up to a sub menu. The interface is easy to learn and remains responsive. This will be a real beneficiary for the first time users. The double tapping unlocking that we saw in the Nokia N9 is adapted to this phone too. The lock screen itself doesn’t support any application short cuts but displays notifications for missed calls, messages and calendar events. Tapping these takes you to relevant applications.

As this is not an AMOLED display, there are chances for pretty heavy power drainage while using this feature.

Memory:

Nokia Asha 501

The Nokia Asha 501 comes packed with a RAM of 64 MB, which is pretty low, comparing to the other leading smartphones available in the market. The phone has an internal storage memory of 128 MB, which is also a bit disappointing. Thankfully, the device has a pretty good expandable memory, with the help of the SD card slot. The external memory can be expanded up to 32GB.

Camera:

This is another feature where the Finnish company let us down. The Asha 501 has only one camera. The primary rear camera of the phone only has 3.15 MP. That too, lacking auto focus capabilities.It has a dedicated camera shutter button. There is a gallery short cut and a toggle to switch between photo and video modes. Zoom slider, self timer, effects etc. are there as the features of the camera. But, to be frank, our team is not that satisfied about the overall features of the camera.

Ads there is no auto focusing feature, the end product will not be good in details. It will be okay for an occasional snap, if you are not a camera savvy. To add to the list of disadvantages, there is no LED flash. Which means, you'll have to say a clean good bye to the night shots.

Nokia Asha 501

Connectivity:

The connectivity options of Asha 501 are really limited. It has blue tooth and the built in microSD card slot. Considering the built-in storage is just 128MB, Nokia is bundling along a 4GB memory card so that you can store your multimedia content on it. The card slot and one of the two SIM slots is located on the side. The other is placed below the battery. If you are a person, who wants a phone which is just above the entry level feature phone, yet wanna stick to the budget, this could be a considerable option.

Battery:

The phone ships in Dual SIM and Single SIM variants. The battery life of the phone depends up on the variant you choose. Both the variants will be having the same battery. So, obviously, the battery life will vary.

Nokia Asha 501

Price:

This is where Nokia will trap you. Though the phone has so many limitations, the affordable price will tempt you to own one. Nokia Asha 501 is available at 5,200 Indian Rupees. At this rate, this is a considerable option, we should say.

Pros:

• Stylish Design.

• Innovative Software.

• Replaceable shells.

• Affordable price.

• Available in both Single and Dual SIM versions.

Cons:

• Below average primary camera

• No secondary camera.

• No 3G

Verdict:

Nokia will have to struggle hard with Asha 501. Though the price tag is really attractive, there are so many disadvantages to the phone. But for a person who wants to use phone for a step beyond the very basic uses, and still sticks to his budget, then this could be a choice. But, even then, this will only be one among the many choices, as the phone market is heaped with budget friendly, feature rich phones.

Read the full specification of Nokia Asha 501.

Check out the picture gallery of Nokia Asha 501.
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Last updated on 01-07-2013. Published on 01-07-2013.
Published by Mobiles4Sale in category Reviews

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