Microsoft has announced a new phone, but you can keep holding your breath for the rumored Surface Phone.
The Nokia 216 is the company's brand new feature phone and it's set for release exclusively in India on October 24 for Rs. 2,495, which converts into about $33.
So, why should you care? First off, it's cool to see Microsoft releasing what could be its latest feature phone before FIH Mobile takes over that part of the business. Next, it looks awesome. As someone who owned the Nokia 6100, the Nokia 216 illustrates just how far this form-factor has come.
Lastly, it could be a sign from Microsoft that even though its ownership of the feature phone sector is coming to a close, its involvement in the phones business as a whole is far from over. Sure, Windows 10 Mobile isn't the revolutionary OS we had hoped it would be, but it's still in a constant state of evolution.
- Also, here's what Microsoft is doing with Windows 10 on the desktop
A deeper look
Swinging the 216 back into focus, it's a dual SIM phone that comes with welcomed features, such as the Opera browser built-in, a removable battery, 3.5mm jack, a microSD card slot with support for up to 32GB of additional storage, as well as a front and rear-facing camera with LED flash for lighting up photos or dark rooms.
Additionally, the phone yields a talk time of over two weeks before the battery putters out. Nokia 216 owners are also being promised one free Gameloft game for download each month. Not a huge incentive, but a very cool move.
When compared to the durable Nokia phones from the past, people often remark that today's smartphones just aren't built with the same level of care. While a different and much more complicated type of product, they are definitely easier to beat up and as of late, crucial features, like the headphone port, have been lopped off.
The Nokia 216 proves that this sentiment has never been more true.
- Via The Verge
