Nokia 222 Is Microsoft’s $37 Phone With Month-Long Battery Life

Having swallowed Nokia’s phone division a year ago, Microsoft now pulls the strings, but the 222 actually looks like the logical evolution of those old candybar phones that we all had on our nightstands while we dreamt about Y2K.

Both the Nokia 222 and the Nokia 222 Dual SIM handsets allow users to surf the web on the go. Some of the preloaded apps on the new feature phones include GroupMe by Skype, Facebook, Messenger, and Twitter.

But the Nokia 222 has some smart, feature-phone style capabilities. Despite the low price, you also get Bluetooth support to share photos and files with other phones, as well as an FM radio with up to 45 hours of playback and a built-in MP3 player with up to 50 hours. It furthermore supports expandable storage up to 32GB through microSD card.

Last not least, both feature phones come with flashlight and those who purchase any of them will be given the option to download one free Gameloft game per month for a year, including titles like “Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood” and “Midnight Pool 3”. The phone charges over a standard micro USB connector and has a 3.5mm headphone jack in place of the proprietary ports often used on low-end devices.

The Nokia 222 is the latest feature phone from Microsoft, the handset will be available in single and dual SIM versions.

The Nokia 222 measures 116x50x12.9mm, and weighs 79 grams. Such an inclusion will once again be very welcome in emerging markets where electricity can turn off without notice. The Nokia 222s roll out in September and are $37 before taxes and subsidies.

The two devices will be rolling out globally in some markets in September and will be available in black and white with a colour-matching keyboard.