4 Low-cost Phones from Nokia for emerging markets

Nokia this week filled in the lower end of its mobile phone portfolio with four new low cost handsets intended for users in developing countries looking for replacement units.

The handsets are very low cost -- from 50 euros ($78) to 90 euros ($141) -- and will be available by the third quarter, the world's largest mobile phone maker said Wednesday at the Growing Together conference in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"People in emerging markets like Africa are increasingly demanding more from their mobile phone. Their expectations and demands in terms of functionality and design are similar to people in any other part of the world. They simply have less income at their disposal," said Alex Lambeek, a Nokia VP.

First-time buyers of mobile phones have been growing for some time now in emerging markets, Nokia said. But the number of users looking to upgrade is on the rise as well. "In 2008, Nokia anticipates that for the first time, the number of replacement purchases in emerging markets will exceed those of first-time buyers," the vendor said, in a statement.

The Nokia 5000 has a 1-3 megapixel camera, an FM radio with recording capability, a high resolution QVGA display and MP3 ringtones. The 5000 supports e-mail and other essential applications as well, including Nokia Xpress Audio Messaging, Bluetooth interface, and GPRS connectivity. It will ship in the second quarter with an estimated retail price of 90 euros ($141).

The Nokia 2680 slide phone is the other low cost mobile phone and it is first slider device for entry-level markets. The 2680 slide has an FM radio with recording, a built-in camera and MP3 ringtones. It also contains all the essential mobile phone features, like an expanded directory. It will ship in the third quarter with an estimated price of 75 euros ($118).

The design of the Nokia 7070 Prism is really very attractive with its geometric patterns and external light effects. The 7070 Prism offers nice content with themes, wallpapers, and MP3 ringtones. The Nokia 7070 Prism has a voice recorder and built-in hands-free speaker and will ship in the third quarter for $50 euros ($78).

The last one is Nokia 1680 classic, which the company described as its most affordable camera phone ever. Nokia 1680 has all the basic mobile phone features with a VGA camera and one-touch video recording features. It will ship in the second quarter for 50 euros ($78).