Nokia Asha 502 Hands-On Review

I had purchased the most awaited Asha 502 from Flipkart in the last week of December. Truth be said, I actually wanted to buy the 503 because it supports 3G (While the 502 supports only 2G) and has a Gorilla Glass. But since I needed a backup secondary phone urgently, and 503 was not launched and from what I heard it would be a month before I could buy that, I went ahead with the 502. I opted for the yellow colour, it was really difficult to choose one from all the beautiful colours they have it in (Yellow/Blue/Green/Red/White/Black). I wish they added one extra colour along for people to swap as and when they felt like! See product image in other colours HERE.

Its MRP is Rs. 6,889/- but is easily available for Rs. 5,700/- approx on-line as an introductory offer. You can purchase it directly from Nokia's on-line store too! They also keep coming up with exchange offers or combo offers, which is really nice. 

Following are its specifications-

GENERAL FEATURES
In Sales Package	Nokia 4 GB microSD Card, Handset, User Guide, Battery, Charger, Headset
Brand	Nokia
Model Name	Asha
Model ID	502
Form	Bar
SIM Size	Micro SIM
SIM Type	Dual SIM, GSM + GSM, (Dual Standby)
Touch Screen	Yes, Capacitive
Business Features	Document Viewer, VOIP Support, Pushmail (Mail for Exchange), Outlook
Call Features	Conference Call, Loudspeaker, Call Divert
Handset Color	Yellow

PLATFORM
Operating Freq	GSM - 900, 1800
Java	Yes

DISPLAY
Type	LCD
Size	3 Inches
Resolution	QVGA, 320 x 240 Pixels
Color	262 K
Other Display Features	Screen Double Tap, Curved Display, Multipoint Touch, Brightness Control, Low Power Mode

CAMERA
Primary Camera	Yes, 5 Megapixel
Flash	LED
Video Recording	Yes, 320 x 240, 15 fps
Zoom	Digital Zoom - 4x
Other Camera Features	Fixed Focus, f/2.4 Aperture, Focal Length: 32 mm, Minimum Focus Range: 44 cm, Flash Operating Range: 1.0 m, Flash Modes: Off, Automatic and On, Landscape Orientation, Auto and Manual White Balance, Full Screen Viewfinder, Capture Modes, Scene Modes, Colou, Image Editor

DIMENSIONS
Size	59.5x99.6x11.1 mm
Weight	100 g

BATTERY
Type	1010 mAh
Talk Time	13 hrs (2G)
Standby Time	576 hrs (2G)

MEMORY AND STORAGE
Internal	64 MB
Expandable Memory	microSD, upto 32 GB

INTERNET & CONNECTIVITY
Internet Features	Email
Preinstalled Browser	Nokia Xpress Browser
GPRS	Yes, 85.6 kbps
EDGE	Yes, 236.8 kbps
Wifi	Yes, 802.11 b/g/n
USB Connectivity	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes, v3, Supported Profiles (AVCTP 1.3, OPP 1.1, HSP 1.1, HFP 1.5, A2DP 1.2, PBAP 1.0)
Audio Jack	3.5 mm

MULTIMEDIA
Music Player	Yes, Supports MIDI, MP3
Video Player	Yes, Supports 3GP, MP4
FM	Yes
Sound Enhancement	Integrated Hands-free Speakers, Album Graphics Display in Music Player, Audio Streaming
Ringtone	MP3, 32 Polyphonic

OTHER FEATURES
Call Memory	Yes
SMS Memory	Yes
Phone Book Memory	4000
Sensors	Orientation Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer
Additional Features	System Connectors: Micro - USB - B, USB Mass Storage, Wi-Fi Security Modes: WPA, WEP, WPA2-Personal, EAP-SIM, EAP-AKA, WAPI Wireless Connectivity, Voice and Audio Recording, Calculator, Clock, Calendar, Fixed Dialing Number, Notes, Alarm, Reminders, Games, FOTA, Nokia Asha Software Platform 1.1, Audio Messaging, MMS Enabled, Automatic Answer, Call Waiting, Voice Mail, Call Barring, Voice Dial, Firmware Update, Device Lock, Device Passcode, PIN Code, Photo Sharing, Video Sharing, DRM Support: OMA DRM 1, Video Streaming
Important Apps	Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, LINE, WeChat, Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Nokia Mail, Windows Live, Hotmail, Direct Chat, eBuddy IM, Nokia Nearby, Nokia Music, YouTube, Instant Messaging

WARRANTY
Warranty Summary	1 year manufacturer warranty for Phone and 6 months warranty for in the box accessories

Above is the phone compared to the Nokia Lumia 520. I actually was thinking of going for the latter but since I wanted a good battery life & dual sim, I opted for Asha 502.

What I like about the phone-

1. Looks damn cute! The crystal glass shell they have given is absolute beauty, plus its size makes it a bundle of joy all in all. You just cant take your eyes off the phone!

2. Great battery life! The phone keeps it promise when it comes to a long lasting battery. On average use i.e. whatsapp, clicking a few images, using FM Radio and receiving calls, the phone's battery lasted 2 days. Which is great. Maybe that's why it comes without 3G, which is a battery eating feature.

3. Easy to use UI! The phone is not complicated at all. The Asha OS is easy to use and understand. So this can make a great first phone for people!

4. Built quality, voice clarity on calls as well as music player, the cute clock & alarm app are some of the other things I like about the phone.

What I do not like about the phone-

1. Though it supports most of the apps like Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, We-chat and so on, its not very smooth & easy to use. Whatsapp is still okay, but the rest take a lot of time to load, even on wifi! I personally do not have as much patience for tweets or fb status to load!

2. The camera's LED light cannot be used as a torch. This came as a surprise. I really require a torch in the phone and am surprised that this feature is not present. (That was confirmed by nokia, check HERE.)

3. The 5 mp does not seem to be as good as should be, or maybe its that I am so used to the Nexus 4's 8 MP. But it still looks not up to the mark to me.

4. The display is very okayish, a little disappointing all in all. If you put in around 2k more you can buy the Nokia Lumia 520 , its display & touch is magnificent.

Verdict-
If your budget is tight, and you mainly need it for a okay camera, dual sim & whatsapp, with good battery life, go for it. If you need faster internet on the go, would suggest the 503, they look the same. But if you use a lot of apps, I would not suggest this one.

Thank you for viewing! Do give your valuable comments!