Nokia Asha turns two
This week, Nokia Asha celebrates its 2nd birthday. In 2011 we saw the arrival of the first phones in this new family, the Nokia Asha 200, Asha 201, Asha 300 and Nokia Asha 303.
Now, with 24 different Nokia Asha models available or coming soon to market, the range continues to grow, reaching many different countries around the world – particularly in emerging markets.
To mark this occasion, and as is custom with most types of birthdays, we’re looking back to see how much Nokia Asha has grown and to speak with the people involved that helped get Asha to where it is today.
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As Product Manager for the Nokia Asha 305 and 306, Kevin Zhao describes why he thinks Asha has done so well.
“Nokia Asha has a fresh and cheeky user interface that offers a playful experience.”
“Through a combination of form, colour and materials, Asha also has a distinguishable physical appearance,” says Kevin.
People choose Nokia time and time again, and Kevin thinks it’s because, “Nokia never stops evolving phones and constantly reinvents the mobile device experience.”
Creating a new phone is about providing people with what they need. Kevin concludes: “I feel extremely proud to be part of Nokia Asha. We’ve been able to deliver affordable touch phones to millions of consumers around the world, and I’ve helped make that happen.”
Julia Moll, who worked on the Nokia Asha 302 and is currently Head of Portfolio Management, Smart Devices at Nokia China, tells us her thoughts on why Nokia Asha has been so popular.
“Our customers want a phone that is solid and trustworthy. They also want something that can give them a new way to experience the world around them and that’s exactly what Nokia Asha stands for.”
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Nokia Asha has evolved from a feature phone to a smartphone, thanks to installable apps and a touchscreen experience, while still being affordable.
“We bring innovation and new, fast and easy experiences to everybody, no matter where you are. Plus the essentials, like keeping connected with your loved ones.”
“When I think about what we’ve achieved, it feels great. We’ve made Asha even smarter and also brought WiFi to lower price points. That means that more people can connect in more ways for free,” says Alireza Nemati, Senior Product Manager.
Ali worked on the Nokia Asha 308, Asha 309 and Asha 310. “Our Asha customers can experience things they may never have experienced before and that’s because we deliver more, while they spend less money.”
Senior Global Concepting Manager, Boris Hua, was product manager for the Nokia Asha 205. His views are similar when he talks about the cost of Nokia Asha phones and also people’s experiences. “We’re doing our best to drive cost down, but not sacrifice anything when it comes to user experience.”
“When I see that millions of people are using Asha phones, I know we are making the right products for consumers. And based on current marketing feedback, we’ll further improve the user experience to make the Nokia Asha family achieve much more.”
Initially starting her work on the Nokia Asha 202 & 203, Vivian Chan, Global Senior Product Manager, most recently worked on the new Nokia Asha 503, which runs on the totally new Asha Platform, introduced this year alongside the Nokia Asha 501.
“When we started bringing a touch interface to phones that would typically only have a keyboard, we wanted to help traditional mobile phone users experience something new and exciting. Now, our Asha phones are much more powerful and have evolved into smartphones, like we see with the new Nokia Asha 503.”
“We’ve not only made our phones more powerful and capable of running apps, the designs are truly fantastic and eye-catching. The new crystal clear, ice-like design on the Nokia Asha 500, 502, and 503 looks like a jewel; it’s high-quality.”
“It’s not just about design and cost, though. Nokia Asha brings people closer together,” says Vivian.
“We’ve listened to our customers and are working hard to bring them what they want. So far we’ve introduced WeChat, Line, LinkedIn, and Nimbuzz, and coming soon is WhatsApp. People love using these services to communicate and they can now do it on a Nokia Asha.”
Everybody we’ve spoken to who works within various Nokia Asha teams all tell us one thing, they hear that people love Nokia because they trust the quality of the products; they’re built to last.
Happy 2nd birthday Nokia Asha!
Now, where’s the cake?