Microsoft has re-established its commitment to low-end phones by launching its cheapest-ever device, the Nokia Lumia 130.
The $25 phone lacks an Internet connection but includes an MP3 music player, FM radio, flashlight, and the ability to play movies. The phone will also support an SD card, allowing for extra storage, and come in both a single and dual-sim version.
The ultra low-end device is the most affordable handset launched under the Nokia banner since Microsoft’s acquisition of the Finnish manufacturer. The 130 will sit between the even more basic Nokia 105 and the Nokia 220, which is the company’s cheapest smartphone.
The new Nokia 130 is aimed mainly at emerging markets, though Microsoft sees potential for the handset in developed markets where people may use it as a second phone.
In a recent interview with re/code, Microsoft phone unit VP Jo Harlow spoke of the potential user base for the Nokia 130.
“More than a billion people don’t have a cell phone [and]¦Microsoft doesn’t have any other project that can reach these consumers.”
News of the Nokia 130 comes in the wake of online speculation regarding Microsoft’s low-end mobile strategy. It follows fears that the tech giant was giving up on affordable handsets, evidenced by its plans to scrap its Asha phones and shift selected Android X devices to Windows Phone.
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