Although Nokia’s latest phone announcement isn’t for a high profile, specced up powerhouse, it’s hard to argue with any piece of technology that costs only $25, and that’s set to be the asking price for the Nokia 130. Yes, it’s a feature phone, and yes, that is an alphanumeric keypad on the front. Don’t bother checking the calendar, it’s not 2002, this is a feature phone for 2014.
What’s interesting about the Nokia 130 is its media ability, which Nokia promotes more than any other aspect of the little device. The phone has an MP3 player ready to play music for 46 hours on a single battery charge, and it can grab files from a MicroSD card slot inside the device. The same goes for videos too, although it’ll only keep going for 16 hours, and you’d have to be pretty keen to watch them on the little screen. There’s also an FM radio if you run out of your own entertainment.
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Nokia has also made an effort with the phone’s design, taking clear inspiration from the Lumia series when fashioning the rear panel, particularly with the central logo. These two aspects aside, the Nokia 130 isn’t very exciting. It has a low resolution, 1.8-inch color screen, runs Nokia’s Series 30+ software, connects to a 2G network, and doesn’t even have a camera. There is a flashlight LED on the rear panel though.
However, moaning about the specs is missing the point. This is a $25 MP3/FM radio player than can also make calls and send messages. It even comes in a funky red or white color, to go along with the rather staid black model. No, it’s not a Galaxy S5 alternative, but it’s hard to argue with a competent device that costs so little. Nokia will put the 130 on sale before the end of the year, and will also offer a dual-SIM version of the phone.