We’ve heard of budget phones but this is just next level stuff. Following a press release sent out by HMD Global, we now know that Nokia is launching the Nokia 215 4G, a device that is designed to be as budget-friendly as possible. Seriously, this sucker will only cost you R300 which in today’s cellular phone landscape is actually wild.
We don’t want to sell your dreams though and you should probably taper your expectations for the device. While the Nokia 215 4G is super cheap you’re not paying for a smartphone. This device is old school and for that price, that’s what you expect. It’s a phone that’s designed to be as accessible as possible so while it does come with some nice features, it’s by no means an advanced piece of hardware. Which should be perfect for folks that really need a phone for the bare essentials and not much else. Still, Nokia is great at making budget phones, just look at the recent Nokia 5.3. Dead average device for a solid price.
So what’s the Nokia 215 4G all about?
Well, the press release didn’t exactly go into detail on the hardware the phone’s running but did shed some light on some of the benefits it comes with. The big highlights include viable 4G support, a robust and durable design (that’s really become Nokia’s whole brand at this point), a battery that should withstand the test of time and FM Radio! Hell, it even comes with games like Snake and Crossy Road for when you’re just waiting around for some time to pass.
We went and looked up the hardware but frankly, if you’re considering getting in on this you probably don’t much care for the specs under the hood. Still, we know that it’s running 64MB of RAM and only comes with 128MB of storage space, meaning that a memory card is probably essential (fortunately, it does support up to 32GB of external storage).
Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer and Vice President of HMD Global North America said, “As a market leader in feature phones, our experience gives us real insight into what people need to stay connected. And, as networks continue to develop, we make it our responsibility to ensure people remain connected, even on the smallest of budgets. By bringing 4G to the Nokia 215 4G without compromising the accessible price point, we take another step towards our mission of providing low-cost access to global connectivity to those who need it the most – the billions of people who remain unconnected.”
The Nokia 215 4G is available in South Africa right now. It’s probably worth mentioning again that it’ll only cost you R300. We’re nothing if not good at reminding folks about prices.
1 Comment
Hey Brad,
Great article and publication for us techno geeks, especially as I’ve been a big Nokia fan since the first mobile brick ever hit the shelves decades ago.
I do have a small gripe with Nokia though, which would perhaps be worth investigating and writing about in a future article. Until recently, I was using a Nokia 2.1 which was a great phone to begin with. Another great perk of owning a Nokia is that it’s unbeatable amongst all other brands when it comes to readily available Android updates, and the 2.1 is no exception. Mine was running Android 8 when I bought it and within a couple of months, I had already upped it to Android 10. But this is where the disappointment set in. The phone’s budget price means that it’s hardware is unable to keep up with Android 10 which is considerably more demanding than Android 9. The phone became so slow and tardy that it literally became unusable in any practical way. I literally threw the phone in the trash. How could Nokia not have tested the phone thoroughly on Android 10 before unleashing the software upgrade to the public?