The Little Brilliant Surprise From Nokia

When I first saw the Nokia 1 smartphone at a retail shop in Nairobi, I just had to check it out. I am not a smartphones nerd, but I love nice phones. While I can’t even explain the technical features in the phones, I can tell a really good phone from using it.

And that’s how I got the Nokia 1. Just out of curiosity and that nostalgic feeling about the brand. It didn’t take long to realise that Nokia has made a brilliant comeback to the market, with smartphones for all price points.

You may be tempted to think Nokia 1’s key proposition is the price, just about Ksh8,000. But using it opens a new world of how simplicity in design and packaging can deliver value for money.

You get a full working touch screen with GPS, blue tooth and Wi-Fi enabled – what most users look for in a smartphone these days. Nokia 1 certainly has some old school characteristics: you need to remove the back to access battery SIM card. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It gives Nokia 1 some classic feel.

Nokia 1 is simple and its functions less complicated. It’s your basic plastic phone that gives more value for its cost. Nokia has two SIM card slots to accommodate the peculiar desires of two lines. It’s become a lifestyle. The SIM slot can accommodate SD card as well.

The phone handles games comfortably and takes quality photos.  The speakers are fair enough and its headphones improve sound quality of music. The battery gives you long battery life about three days for an average user. And the beauty for heavy users is that it charges so fast – from zero to full capacity in less than three hours.

Surprise when you unbox the Nokia 1 is that apart from the charger, which every brand incudes, you get earphones with ear buds.

Those who value technical stuff will be happy to know that Nokia Uses Android Go which works well on phones with not-so-huge memory space. And so, you can access emails, Whatsapp, Facebook and other social media through this simple and affordable gadget.

This a great alternative if you don’t have cash for an expensive smartphone. Students and young professionals will find it quite a bargain as those people who don’t like spending lots of cash on a phone. Nokia 1 is the first step on the ladder, so that next time you can pick up Nokia 3 or even better stuff from Nokia range of smartphones.