The Nokia Asha 205 is powered by Symbian Series 40 OS and comes with a 2.4 inch screen, very basic features, QWERTY keypad and 2G support all this for a price of Rs. 3,300. The handset comes in different colors, has got an attractive look but there are a lot of features that are missing.
Box pack
The compact box pack contains the handset, charger, earphone, user manual and 1020 mAh battery. You can check the Unboxing video at the end of the article.
Design and Display
The handset looks really cool with the QWERTY keypad and the rear cover (depending on what you choose). There are no buttons on the sides. In fact the volume rockers are also missing. To change the volume level you will need to do it via the menu options. For in call volume (during a call) you can use the navigation up / down button to increase / decrease the volume.
The handset weighs just 94 grams with 13 mm thickness. The display screen is 2.4 inches LCD with 65K colour support and resolution of 320×240 pixels. This is not a touchscreen display.
Dual SIM (SIM 2 hot swappable)
The Nokia 205 supports dual SIM, SIM 1 can be accessed by opening the back cover, under the battery. The SIM 2 is placed outside and is hot swappable. You can insert or remove any SIM in SIM slot 2 at anytime without restarting the phone.
VGA Camera
The camera is no good it’s VGA (0.3MP resolution), though it should be good enough for sharing on Facebook and twitter.
Multimedia
There is built in FM radio. You need to connect the earphones for it to work. The media player can play only VGA or lower resolution video formats.
Games
There are some apps and games that come preloaded. You will also find the Asphalt 6 game (demo) preloaded but the game play/ graphics is nowhere as seen on high end smartphones.
Asha 205 performance
It is a low spec phone without 3G, GPS and even Wi-Fi. All you get is the 2G network i.e. you can use the EDGE or GPRS networks. Even with minimal features the handset sports a QWERTY keypad with social networking support. Facebook and Twitter apps come built in. There is dedicated Facebook button on the QWERTY keypad.
The performance is good with no lags. You can also install apps (limited number depending on the storage space). You get around 9MB free memory. The memory is low so avoid installing too many apps.
1020 mAh Battery
The Li-ion 1020 mAh battery on this low spec handset will definitely impress you. You get a talktime of up to 11 hours and standby time is around 25 days.
Nokia Asha 205 review
As mentioned this is a basic phone, meant for users who are not comfortable with android, windows or iOS OS. It is also a good option for users who are looking for a good brand with Facebook functionality in mind at an attractive price tag.
The loudspeaker volume is loud and clear and so is the in call speaker, you will miss the volume rockers though. To sum up its dual SIM QWERTY phone, with 2G, direct access to Facebook app, Bluetooth, excellent battery life for a price tag of Rs. 3,300. The Micromax A25 an android phone is closely priced at Rs. 3,550.
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Nokia Asha 205 unboxing and review video
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