The Nokia Asha 502 is the latest entrant to the Kenyan Smartphone Scene. The brightly colored Asha OS device comes with an affordable price tag that appeals the younger segment of the market.
The Nokia Asha 502 launches at a time when there is an insatiable thirst for decent but affordable handsets in Kenya. Nokia East Africa is on an aggressive marketing strategy to boost their sales figures in the Kenyan Smartphone market.
The Kenyan entry level Smartphone market sector is extremely competitive. Therefore, it will be fascinating to see how the Nokia Asha 302 performs in Kenya.
Back to our core topic, here is a quick review of the Nokia Asha 502 and price in Kenya.
Nokia.com
Display
The Nokia Asha 502 has a 320 x 240 pixels, 3-inch touch screen. The screen resolution is exactly similar to that one found on the Nokia Asha 500 2.8-Inch display. It is, however, disappointing to note that the Nokia Asha 500 has a 133-ppi Resolution Density.
This a 10-unit drop compared to the 143-ppi resolution density found on the Nokia Asha 500 display. Nevertheless, the screen is brightly lit and has some remarkable viewing angles.
Body and Design
The Nokia Asha 502 has a 99.6 x 59.5 x 11.1 mm all-plastic exterior. Just like the Asha 500, the Nokia Asha 502 has a clear plastic outline giving it the ‘ice box’ look and feel. The handset is available in Bright Red, Cyan, White, Yellow and Black Bright Green colors.
The Nokia Asha 500, Asha 502 and the Asha 503 have a similar design concept. Nokia appears to have duplicated this move from Samsung AKA ‘the mother of the same design’. The three phones are almost identical with just minor alterations here and there.
Technical Specifications
I searched the depths of the web but lacked any reliable info on the CPU clock speed of the Nokia Asha 500 (sorry Techies!). My best bet would probably be a 1Ghz Single Core CPU and some 64 MB of RAM.
Nokia throws in a complimentary 4GB MicroSD with every purchase of the Nokia Asha 502. Another awesome bit with the Asha 502 is the Easy Swap feature. Easy Swap is a fancy word describing a feature that lets you change SIM cards while the device is in Standby Mode.
Expect no 3G on the Nokia Asha 502. The best you can do is Edge or connect via WI-Fi. The lack of 3G definitely warrants some tantrums. Hey, Nokia! 3G internet is no longer a premium feature, but rather basic for any Smartphone. As a reprieve for that, the Asha 500 has Bluetooth v 3.0 with Slam.
Nokia.com
Camera
A 5MP, 2592×1944 pixel rear snapper is the standout feature of the Nokia Asha 502. This is a slight bump from the 3.2MP camera found on the Asha 500. That’s not all; the icing on the cake is that the Asha 502 has an LED flash and a QVGA secondary camera for self-shots.
This is incredible considering that even the hot selling Nokia Lumia 520 lacks both the LED flash and a front facing camera.
From my tests, the Asha 502 captured images of satisfactory quality. The images will get you the couple of double taps on Instagram you crave.
Battery Life
Here is another shocker; the Nokia Asha 502 has a Li-Ion 1010 mAh battery. Well, how is that a shocker?
This is a stripdown from the Li-Ion 1200 mAh battery powering the Asha 500. Even though that is a huge disappointment, there is a core costing principle behind that. The Nokia Asha 502 is an entry-level device and costs saving measures are the norm for this category.
The Nokia Asha 500 is to an extent underpowered and thus sucks in considerably less battery juice compared other powerful handsets.
If you are all about listening to music, downloading music files and WhatApp (all at the same time), you can squeeze some 24 hours before the Nokia Asha 502 starts pining for the charger.
Tech Trends Diary Verdict
The Nokia Asha 502 is an interesting device. A comparison between the Asha 502 and Asha 500 yields something very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Young vs. Samsung Galaxy Pocket. I say this inclined towards the juggling act of features between the two devices.
An Interesting Read: Samsung Galaxy Young Review and Price in Kenya
You gain a slightly larger display and an awesome camera, but miss the battery stamina. Therefore, if you are particular with how your phone looks, the 502 is just perfect for you. However, if you are more into the basics of a Smartphone take a Second Look at the Asha 500.
Tech Trends Diary Rating
Nokia Asha 502: [usr 7]
Competitors
Competitors of the Nokia Asha 502 include the Nokia Asha 500 and the Alcatel One TouchT’pop.
Price in Kenya
The Nokia Asha 502 has a suggested retail price of Ksh 9,699
Kevin is a tech enthusiast and the lead writer at MobiTrends.co.ke. He has been writing about smartphones and tech related topics since October 2012. About Us | Contact Us
