In a shrinking featurephone market, the Nokia Asha lineup is trying to deliver a near-smartphone experience with less complexity and, more crucially, at a more attractive price point. The Asha 306 slots just above the middle of the pack - delivering a touchscreen display and Wi-Fi connectivity.
The Nokia Asha 306 is aimed at those that value Wi-Fi connectivity over a second SIM slot (there's Asha 305 if that's not the case). Wi-Fi connectivity is the headline feature, but it's not everything the Asha
306 has going for it.
Key features
- Quad-band GSM, GPRS, EDGE
- Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
- S40-based Asha touch interface
- 3" WQVGA resistive touchscreen, ~155 pixel density
- Multi-touch in the gallery and Nokia Maps
- Display auto-rotation
- Nokia Browser 2.0
- Nokia store and 40 EA games for free
- 2 MP camera
- microSD card support (up to 32 GB)
- Complimentary 2 GB microSD card in the box
- Bluetooth v2.1
- Standard microUSB port, charging
- 1100 mAh Li-Ion battery
- Excellent loudspeaker performance
Main disadvantages
- Interface slows down at times, due to low RAM
- Poor screen quality
- Resistive touchscreen feels awkward
- Fixed-focus camera
- QCIF video recording
- No smart dialing
The Nokia Asha 306 is no powerhouse, but then again, the target user for this one isn't really obsessed with specs. The Asha 306 makes sense for people looking for a straightforward handset for calling other people or are just on the lookout for a secondary phone, which should complement their smartphone without breaking the bank.
