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Mobile Technology

Nokia reveals €15 mobile phone with month-long battery life

By Jonathan Fincher
February 26, 2013
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Built for the budget-conscious consumer, the Nokia 105 mobile phone will retail for €15 (about US$20) and feature a battery that only needs charging once a month
The Nokia 105 does contain a few basic programs, including an FM radio (headset required)
Most of the phone's features aren't exactly dazzling – 1.45-inch, 128 x 128 resolution color TFT screen, 8MB ROM memory, no camera – with the notable exceptions of the low price and long battery life
For users in India, China, Indonesia, and Nigeria, the phone will also come with the Nokia Life suite of programs, which provide information and lessons via SMS on a variety of topics – like how to speak English
The Nokia 105 features a 1.45-inch color TFT screen
The Nokia 105 is intended as a mobile phone option that won't cost much and will last a long time
The Nokia 105 is available in cyan or black color schemes and will be released in Q1 of 2013 throughout Europe and Asia
The Nokia 105 could also work as an emergency phone or as a backup phone for people who don't want to take their pricey smartphone out mountain climbing and such
The Nokia 105 incorporates a dust and splash-proof keypad
Software and applications includes a flashlight, FM radio (headset required), speaking alarm clock, and five basic games, like Sudoku and the classic Snake
Built for the budget-conscious consumer, the Nokia 105 mobile phone will retail for €15 (about US$20) and feature a battery that only needs charging once a month
View gallery - 10 images

The 2013 Mobile World Congress (MWC) is in full swing right now with all the big players showing off their latest smartphones and mobile technology. But while companies like LG and HP are rolling out smart devices with a wide range of features, Nokia arrived with a stripped-down cell phone aimed at the budget-conscious consumer. The recently announced Nokia 105 mobile phone will retail for €15 (about US$20) and feature a battery that only needs charging once a month.

Most of the phone's features aren't exactly dazzling – 1.45-inch, 128 x 128 resolution color TFT screen, 8 MB ROM memory, no camera – with the notable exceptions of the low price and long battery life. On a full charge, the Nokia 105 can deliver 12.5 hours of talk time or remain powered for up to a whopping 35 days (842 hours) on standby.

It does contain a few basic programs as well, including a flashlight, FM radio (headset required), speaking alarm clock, and five basic games, like Sudoku and the classic Snake. For users in India, China, Indonesia, and Nigeria, the phone will also come with the Nokia Life suite of programs, which provide information and lessons via SMS on a variety of topics – like how to speak English. Finally, the phone incorporates a dust and splash-proof keypad, adding to Nokia's signature durable design.

For users in India, China, Indonesia, and Nigeria, the phone will also come with the Nokia Life suite of programs, which provide information and lessons via SMS on a variety of topics – like how to speak English

Simplistic? Definitely, but this is a device aimed at people who just need a phone without many extra bells and whistles. According to Nokia, about 2.7 billion people in the world have never purchased a smartphone, typically due to the price. The Nokia 105 is intended as a mobile phone option that won't cost much and will last a long time. Aside from appealing to those with financial constraints, the Nokia 105 could also work as an emergency phone or as a backup phone for people who don't want to take their pricey smartphone out mountain climbing and such.

The Nokia 105 is available in cyan or black color schemes and will be released in Q1 of 2013 for that bargain price of €15 (about US$20) throughout Europe and Asia.

Source: Nokia

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Mobile TechnologyNokiaMobile PhonesMobile World Congress 2013
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Jonathan Fincher
Jonathan grew up in Norway, China, and Trinidad before graduating film school and becoming an online writer covering green technology, history and design, as well as contributing to video game news sites like Filefront and 1Up. He currently resides in Texas, where his passions include video games, comics, and boring people who don't want to talk about either of those things.
8 comments
Marke
All well'n good...but wait'll they get the roaming bills! ;-)
Mick Perger
Great idea , when will we have them in Australia ?
Slowburn
12 and a half hours of talk time; almost enough to get a teenager through a day.
moreover
In the US consumers are being gouged by cell phone companies charging twice and more of what European customers pay in monthly bills. The cost of a the phone is negligible, it's the cost of operating one. Companies prefer to spend money on politicians - yes, bribery is legal in the United States - to support anti-competitive and anti-consumer legislation than on improving their service.
frogola
that is so true they would suck your blood if they could.
Andrej Radoš
When, at least for now, there are only one road network on which everybody can travel, there's no reason to have several networks other than parasitic ones. Politicians unfortunately give in to lobbyists to often instead of thinking of everybody's needs. Think road-tolls and crap in the same vein. Unify all networks on earth into one tax financed smoothie with free access and no dividends to anyone.
Ben O'Brien
Why is it on SMS? That will cost a lot more in and not be as good. You should increase the cost a couple dollars and put in a little bit of memory so you just have to update the software every once and a while or not.
moreover
Andrej, excellent idea. A unified free cell phone network would trigger economic gains comparable to the internet revolution. Developing nations, including China, have often opted to forego landline construction and instead opted for cell phone service. This has connected remote areas of the country at a much lower price and catapulted them into the 21st century. People ignore their power of benevolent monopolies at their expense. Just look at utility/energy deregulation in the USA: enriched private companies, deteriorated service - remember ENRON?
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