Nokia Asha 305 Review

Apps and media

Besides the standard set of apps that includes Calendar, Gallery, Internet, Maps, Radio, Mail and Voice recording, the Asha 305 offers a bunch of games and social networking apps (Facebook, Twitter and Orkut). You also get a file browser and an app for managing dual SIMs. You can assign SIM1 or SIM2 for outgoing calls, SMS, MMS and data or choose the ‘Always Ask’ option, which prompts you to choose the SIM each time you make a call, send an SMS or MMS, or use data. The phone comes with the Nokia Store app that allows you to download and install hundreds of other paid and free apps.

Unable to play video streams

The media playback capability of the Asha 305 is quite crippled. It plays a variety of audio formats including MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, and M4A. However, the support for video playback is quite limited. We were only able to play 3GP and MP4 files. AVI, XviD, DivX and MKV videos refused to play. The support for YouTube videos playback is also absent. The phone pops up a message saying that video streaming isn’t supported and videos can only be downloaded.

Camera

The 2 MP camera isn’t the best, but it takes decent pictures provided the lighting is very good. The reproduction of colours and the overall contrast is good, but the photos lack detail due to JPEG artefacts, which is a result of excessive compression. The photos taken are good just for sharing on social networks or via email. The video recording feature is pointless – don’t expect wonders at a meagre 15fps . 

Battery life

The lean feature set gives this phone an awesome battery life. Nokia claims the battery life of the Asha 305 is 14 hours. Once the battery was fully charged, we started our battery life test with loops of 1 hour each of call, FM radio and music playback. We completed four loops with bits of video playback and web browsing, and we still had 50 percent battery life remaining. With moderate usage, the Asha 305 should easily last for two days on a single full charge.

1110 mAh battery and SIM1 slot

Verdict and Price in India

For Rs 5,029, the Nokia Asha 305 is a good package for those who want a compact dual-SIM phone with touchscreen. What we liked most about this phone is the battery life and audio playback. It would have been nice if the user interface was more fluid and the touchscreen was capacitive. But then, you have the option of buying the Asha 311, which is a much better deal for Rs 1,600 more.