Nokia Asha 502: My first impressions

The Nokia Asha 502 launched at Nokia World 2013 late last year, along with the Asha 500 and Asha 503. I’ve been living with Nokia’s latest baby for the past couple of months; read on for my first impressions.

The design is the most striking feature on the Nokia Asha 502, and it really is a great looking phone. The transparent backing that covers the case is attractive and unusual, giving the back and sides of the phone a shiny finish that matches the display.

With Dual SIM technology, you can pop another SIM card into the side of the phone and use it for both work and personal calls. I found it really easy to use, thanks to a drop-down bar at the top of the screen letting me select which SIM card to use when I wanted to make a call or send a message.

Changes to Fastlane

The changes to Fastlane on the Nokia Asha 502 make the biggest difference to how I use the phone, as there’s now a lot more choice over which features can be added to the Fastlane feed.

It’s not just a case of picking the apps and features I’m more interested in; I love the fact I can also remove individual items from Fastlane simply by tapping and holding, making it a lot easier to keep private messages and notifications away from prying eyes.

It’s become my default reader for Facebook updates, for instance, with all of my notifications appearing on Fastlane. And if there’s something a little different that I’d rather keep to myself, it’s now easy to remove from the homescreen.

Photography and social networks

The Nokia Asha 502 also brings a better camera to the party, with a 5-megapixel sensor resulting in much better photographs. There’s a flash for a start, which means I can take snaps of my cat in the house, irrespective of how poor the lighting is, and the quality is more than good enough to share with my friends on Facebook or Twitter – again made easier thanks to the integrated social networking apps.

The introduction of WhatsApp is a welcome one, and it was the first app that I tried out when I unboxed the phone, getting in touch with friends and taking advantage of my Asha’s Wi-Fi connection.

Thanks to the simple navigation and search options on the Nokia Store, I’d quickly downloaded LINE and WeChat for my Asha 502 as well, making it easy to keep in touch with people around the world without having to pay for expensive text messages.

Throw in a battery life that’s easily measured in days, and the Asha 502 is a great all-rounder. I certainly love mine; it’s one of the most desirable affordable handsets around.