If you thought the days of Nokia phones were long dead and gone thanks to the popularity of Apple iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones, think again.
Even though Microsoft said back in May that it was selling its feature phone business to FIH Mobile for $350 million, it decided to release one more Nokia phone for old time's sake.
Microsoft surprised us all on Tuesday, when it announced the launch of a new Nokia phone, the Nokia 216.
It appears the past called and said a new Nokia device would be a good idea, despite the fact that everyone is going crazy for the new Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus.
However, consumers will be happy to learn that this new Nokia phone has something the iPhone 7 doesn't, a headphone jack. OK, so does every other smartphone on the market right now, but the new Nokia phone has an extremely competitive price of only $37 (£30). That's because the Nokia 216 will be sold in India.
What could very well be Microsoft's final Nokia phone, the Nokia 216 is as basic as it gets and has that '00s nostalgic feel to it. It has a 2.4-inch QVGA display and a physical keyboard. It runs on the Series 30 OS and comes pre-loaded with Opera mini browser and Facebook, with 16 MB of RAM with expandable memory via a microSD card.
It has a 0.3 MP rear- and front-facing camera with LED flash, features stereo FM radio, built-in MP3 player and Bluetooth support. The phone has a battery life of 24 days on standby, with a maximum talk time of up to 18 hours.
However, the Nokia 216 only supports 2.5G networks.
The Nokia phone is water-resistant IPv6 certified and comes in teal blue, silver and black color options.
Users can download apps and games via the Opera Mobile Store, snap selfies, listen to music and store up to 200 contacts on the device.
The unveiling of the Nokia 216 probably comes at a shock to most, especially since Microsoft has not seen much success in the smartphone business when it comes to its Lumia and Windows Phones. The company has even suggested that it may stop making Lumia phones and instead continue support for existing phones and new ones developed by third-party makers like Acer, HP and VAIO.
As part of its deal with FIH Mobile that hands over all feature phone assets, the company will also acquire Microsoft's manufacturing facility that is based in Vietnam.
However, there are rumors still swirling that Microsoft may release a new Surface smartphone next year. However, for now, the Nokia 216 is probably the last Nokia device it makes.
The Nokia 216 will launch in India in October.
Source: Microsoft
