Nokia Asha 501 initial impressions

Nokia Asha 501 launched this Thursday on 9th May 2013 is an attempt to recreate the N9 experience at an affordable level. In a global event in New Delhi, India Stephen Elop the CEO of the company announced Asha 501 as its first device of the new family. We managed to get our hands-on the device jot down our first impressions about the device which you can read below.

Nokia has always been known for its hardware no matter what kind of device it has been. The Nokia Asha 501 makes high-end design and quality accessible to more people. The device is available in a choice of six striking colours (which includes red, yellow, cyan, green, white and black) that complement the elegant design. It comes in two parts: a durable, removable casing and the scratch-resistant glass display, which features a three-inch, capacitive touchscreen and a single ‘back’ button. The compact new Asha weighs only 98 grams, for the ultimate portability.

The Nokia Asha 501 is built to make it easier for people to access everything they love, with a simple swipe and a choice of two main screens: Home and Fastlane. Home is a traditional, icon-based view for launching individual apps or accessing a specific feature, like the dialler or phone settings. The new Fastlane view was inspired by how people really use their phone. Recently accessed contacts, social networks and apps, unique to each person, are stored and presented in Fastlane. It provides a record of how the phone is used, giving people a glimpse of their past, present and future activity, and helping them multi-task by providing easy access to their favorite features.

The new Asha comes with Nokia Xpress Browser pre-loaded, which compresses Internet data by up to 90%. This is aimed at making mobile browsing faster and more affordable. Nokia also announced the availability of Nokia Xpress Now, a new Web application that recommends content based on location, preferences and trending topics. It will be available via the Browser homepage or as a download from Nokia Store. The HERE experience, based on Nokia’s leading location-based platform, will also be available as a download for the Nokia Asha 501, starting in Q3 2013 and will initially include basic mapping services.

The new Nokia Asha 501 was purpose-built to give people the best possible mobile experiences at an affordable price. It is highly efficient, with an industry-leading standby time of up to 48 days. The Asha 501 is the first smartphone built on the new Asha platform, which leverages Nokia’s investments in Smarterphone, a company which Nokia acquired in 2012.

$99 + taxes will call on something around ₹6000 – ₹6500 and is definitely worth considering at the price point. If you are planning for a phone near about this range, we will definitely suggest you to consider this an option. We will be doing a detailed review soon as we get the device for review till then do check our blog for more updates.