Microsoft Unveils Nokia 230 And 230 Dual SIM Feature Phones With Physical Buttons And Touchscreen Aimed For Selfie Addicts And Gamers

Lauren Keating, Tech Times 25 November 2015, 02:11 pm

Microsoft unveiled two new feature phones on Wednesday: the Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM.

The new Nokia phones share the same specs and features, with the only difference being that one has a dual-SIM card slot. Both devices feature an aluminum back cover, measure 124.6 by 53.4 by 10.9 mm, weigh in at 92 grams and have a 2.8-inch QVGA LCD touchscreen, with storage up to 32 GB via microSD card.

The phones run on Nokia Series 30+ OS, and are equipped with preloaded apps such as Bing Search, MSN Weather and Opera Mini browser.

The Nokia 230 phones are powered by a 1200 mAh battery that delivers up to 23 hours of talk time, with up to 22-day battery life for the dual-SIM device and up to 27 days of standby time for the single-SIM model.

The company calls the Nokia 230 and 230 Dual SIM "premium quality Internet-enabled" that are targeted for users who enjoy taking selfies, as well as those who tend to spend most of their time on their mobile device gaming.

The smartphones have 2 megapixel cameras on the front and the back, with both having integrated LED flash so that the user's selfie has the ideal amount of lighting, even at nighttime.

Selfie addicts can open the camera shortcut on the display, snap and then hit the "share" button to instantly upload the photo to Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, like GroupMe.

Along with its 2.8-inch touchscreen, the Nokia 230 single- and dual-SIM devices also include physical buttons, a feature that is hardly seen these days.

The physical keyboard can be beneficial for quickly searching the Web or for gaming.

Gamers might be pleased to learn the smartphones come with Open Store access in select markets, with the ability to download one free Gameloft game every month for one year. These titles include Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Midnight Pool 3.

The Nokia 230 and Nokia 230 Dual SIM will both be available in a glossy silver or dark silver color option.

The smartphones retail for $55 and are expected to first be released in India, Asia and the Middle East in December, with other markets to follow in 2016.