Nokia Asha 303 Review

Introduction:

The Nokia Asha 303 is the flagship of Nokia's new affordable range, that is aimed towards youth and emerging markets. While not really impressive in terms of specs, Nokia's Series 40 phones have been around for a while with millions of loyal followers in emerging markets and among teens.

The sands in the mobile industry have shifted a lot since those times, though, but Asha 303 with its 1GHz processor, 3MP camera, capacitive touchscreen and physical QWERTY keyboard is also an evolution of the lineup. We also have to add the thousands of apps in the Nokia Store, but will the whole kit be enough to lure buyers away from the hip entry level Android phones? Read on our review to find out...

In the box:

• Wall charger
• microUSB cable
• 2GB microSD card
• In-ear headphones
• Warranty and information leaflets

Design:

The Nokia Asha 303 feels pretty good in the hand, thanks to its curved back and tapered sides, plus the quite respectful yet not overbearing thickness. The portrait QWERTY keyboard half is recessed below the upper screen area, as if you are dealing with a slider at first glance. Overall the phone has a bit chubby, but very lightweight and sturdy construction, incorporating some premium elements like the metal battery cover. It comes in a variety of colors.



You can compare the Nokia Asha 303 with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

There is no shortage of ports and keys around, with the top reserved for the charging and microUSB ports, as well as the standard audio jack. The lock key on the right, as well as the volume rocker above it are easy to feel and press, but with somewhat shallow feedback. The four navigational keys below the display are set for the most used functions – call and end keys, as well as a music playback and messaging buttons.


Display:

The 2.6” capacitive touch display is a first for the Series 40 line. Its colors seem pale, and brightness is about average, so using it in the sun is a bit of a chore.

The 240x320 pixels of resolution is pretty low by any standard, so even on this small size the poor 154ppi density makes interface elements look pixelated. Horizontal viewing angles are pretty bad, while the vertical ones are decent, and overall the display does the job.

Keyboard and Typing:

Considering that a larger thumb covers three columns of the keyboard at once, the typing experience can't exactly be called comfortable, so there’s bound to be quite the learning curve until you hit decent speeds. The keyboard also feels very plasticky, and it is on a single sheet, so space between the keys is nonexistent, making the typing matters worse.


The travel is mostly shallow, with poor tactile feedback. The cramped four-row physical QWERTY is slightly curved, which supposedly enhances typing comfort.

Interface and Functionality:

The presence of a capacitive touchscreen allows for some interesting combinations in the interface -  for example, when you press the navigational button for messaging, a choice of two on-screen keys appears on the display, that lets you choose between texting or emailing. When you press the Play key, a small music player widget pops up to manage your tunes, and so on.

The big fat icons remind of the Symbian Belle styling, and are very easy to press, plus the screen is very responsive. Menu-diving has been reduced to a minimum, compared with the previous nightmarish Series 40 phones, but there are still many perplexing options until you find where everything is stored, especially if you are coming from another platform.


A big disappointment is the lack of smart dialing in the phone book, which means you have to search for everyone that is not in your immediate call log.

Despite the decent 1GHz processor here, Series 40 doesn't support multitasking, so you will be hopping from one app to the other. Only one homescreen is present, and you have to divide it between favorite contacts and social networking updates, among other things like shortcut bars, mail or message section, and so on, so everything looks pretty cramped. There is quick access to a panel with wireless connectivity shortcuts, which can be rearranged to your liking for speedy turning on/off the various radios.

The main menu is pretty simple, with big icons giving you access to various apps or subcategories, where the interface elements are big enough for comfortable pressing.



Internet and Connectivity:

The new 2.0 Series 40 browser of Nokia Asha 303 actually makes the most out of the smallish display, with an address/search field in one at the top, where the context menu button resides as well. The navigational dock underneath is reserved for quick access to your favorites, downloads or various web apps like simple games, for example. Both bars go away when you are actually surfing, leaving you with full screen view and transparent back and forward buttons only.

The browser also compresses the sites at Nokia's own servers, so you are piped in a version that minimizes your data consumption, and the pages render faster. Panning around, scrolling and zooming are actually quite fluid, and there is even text reflow to fit the article in the screen width upon double-tap. All in all, a very usable browser for the screen size is what we have on the Asha 303, but the lack of Adobe Flash support and the crappy pixel density aren't very enticing to use it for anything but quick checkups.


The Nokia Asha 303 is pentaband 3G phone, meaning it will work globally, and the 3G radio allows for up to 10.2 HSDPA download speeds.

The phone is no slouch when it comes to other connectivity options – we have Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and FM Radio - but GPS is conspicuously missing, so the Nokia Maps app will triangulate you only by the cell phone towers around, which is not as accurate, but does the job for crude pedestrian navigation.

Camera:

The Asha range sports the same 3MP fixed-focus camera in the whole lineup, and the 303 is no exception. It doesn't have a flash on the back.

The touch interface is decent, with large buttons that make accessing the camera functions easy. Most of the basics like white balance and exposure adjustments are here, and there is face recognition, a few effects and funny frames thrown in for a good measure. The phone has a Sequence mode, which allows you to take up to five shots in rapid succession.


The pictures themselves turned out decent in terms of color representation and white balance measurements, but quite soft and a bit light on detail to be considered anything above average. Inside photos get even softer and noise ratchets up. Since the camera is fixed-focus, macro shots are out of the question with the phone as well.


The Asha 303 shoots VGA video at 15fps, which again is nothing to write home about, but is usable if you have nothing better to capture the end of the world with around this Christmas.

Nokia Asha 303 Sample Video:



Multimedia:

The music player got touch controls, but otherwise keeps a very similar interface to its previous version. It is pretty functional as it is, with cover art, equalizers and song categorization support. One of the few advantages when you have a thick phone is that you can fit a more potent loudspeaker in it, and the one in the Asha 303 is indeed very strong and clear, and could serve as an improvised boombox.

The handset has a decent video player, too, this time enhanced with DivX/Xvid format support out of the box. It plays those vids up to 640x360 resolution, but if your file is above 700MB, the handset would refuse to take it for a spin.

Performance:

Call quality is rather clear in the earpiece, although we wish there was a tad more strength. The other side said they could hear us well, with no unpleasant crackling or distortions. The phone supports call recording, and, as we mentioned, has a very strong loudspeaker, so you are unlikely to miss a call with it.

Nokia specifies the 1300mAh battery in the Asha 303 for 7 hours of talk time in 3G mode, over a month of standby, and two days of continuous music playback.


Conclusion:

The Nokia Asha 303 pushes the envelope of what we call a feature phone, providing an almost complete set of functions for your everyday needs. Granted, it doesn't have the rich application store that even a cheapo Android handset can take advantage of, but there are still plenty of apps for it, including the widely popular social networking ones, and even an exclusive version of Angry Birds to go along.

There are a few things holding it back, like the cramped keyboard, and the lack of GPS receiver, but still you get a sturdy and colorful design, very good call and loudspeaker quality, as well as a pentaband 3G radio,

Priced between $150-$200 (or Euros) at various retailers without a contract, the Nokia Asha 303 is a good value for the money, especially for people who are yet unwilling to make the jump to smartphones. For them it can serve as both a whiff of nostalgia from the times when Series 40 marched across the world uninterrupted, and a very decent evolution in line with the times.

When you look at its direct competition Android, however, things start to turn iffy for Asha 303. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro immediately come to mind. It combines physical portrait QWERTY with a 2.6” capacitive touchscreen as well, but for about the same price as the Asha 303 you get access to the hundreds of thousands of Android apps, and the keyboard is chiclet.

Even better, you can grab the HTC ChaCha (Status for AT&T) with its svelte design, much better pixel density and a 5MP camera with flash for only a tad more.

If you are a fan of the portrait QWERTY layout, you might as well go to the source, and get something like the BlackBerry Bold 9700 for the money, provided that you don't care whether the screen is touch-enabled or not.

If physical keyboards seem too old school for you, the HTC Wildfire S or the Samsung Galaxy Ace are decent bets in this price range, and sport 5MP cameras.

Software version: V13.47

Nokia Asha 303 Video Review: