Nokia Asha 308 and Nokia Asha 309 announced

It was just earlier in the day when we talked about the leaked Asha 309 from Nokia, and the handset has already been announced, alongside the Asha 308. Both are budget-friendly devices that claim to offer a smartphone experience, although the degree of how one determines a “smartphone experience” is relative. Either way, both handsets will feature Internet connectivity, apps, maps, social networking and games amongst others.

Nokia claims that they come with a fluid ‘swipe’ user interface and an open environment for third-party app development, sharing a 3”, scratch-resistant, capacitive touchscreen, a 2-megapixel camera, built-in speakers and the fun-to-use Asha Touch operating system. Nokia’s new Xpress Browser will also be carried on both handsets, where they rely on cloud compression technology that makes web faster while touting a claim of consuming just 10% of data than normal.

The Asha 308 is a dual SIM phone, while the Asha 309 carries just one SIM card. The Nokia Asha 308 and Nokia Asha 309 were tipped to retail for around $99 a pop prior to taxes and subsidies, with shipping commencing from Q4 this year onwards.