Microsoft has not killed Nokia! – £18 Nokia 215 Budget handset launched

Just when you thought you had seen the last of Nokia, BAM, Microsoft bring the brand back in a new Ultra Affordable package.

Microsoft may have killed of Nokia in favour of its own Microsoft Lumia branding, but the world’s most well long established Mobile phone brands will not be disappearing from our lives, as MS will be releasing a new range of Nokia budget phones, which will retail for just $29 (£18).

The Nokia 215 does not have any sort of decent specifications, but the phone itself Is destined for more for regions that can’t afford Windows Phone, Android or iOS devices, but it is capable of accessing the internet through an Opera Mini browser and even comes with Bing search, MSN Weather, Twitter and Facebook.

The handsets themselves are “Internet ready”, whatever that means, connectivity is key to the super budget phones.

See also: Microsoft announces Lumia 535

The Nokia 215’s have a small 2.4-inch 160 x 120 screen with a 0.3-megapixel camera on the back, but it also comes with Bluetooth 3.0 for connectivity and can hold up to 32GB of storage through an optional microSD card. The handset also comes with a 1,100mAh battery which reportedly gives up to 20 hours of talk time.

“With our ultra-affordable mobile phones and digital services, we see an inspiring opportunity to connect the next billion people to the Internet for the first time,” said Jo Harlow, corporate vice president of Microsoft Devices Group.

The Nokia 215 will be aimed at the emerging mobile markets, but will be launched in Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe will get the phone in the first quarter of this year, and will come in three colours, green, black or white and with Dual and Single SIM options.