Nokia's Not Entirely Dumb Phone is Also Super Cheap

Once the world's most popular maker of mobile phones, Nokia now offers rather more esoteric options. Like this gizmo.

Credit: HMD Global

At first glance, the new Nokia 300 Charge appears to be a conventional dumb phone, aka definitely not a modern, sleek smart phone. It's got a large physical keypad (remember those?), a small colour screen, and a basic OS to handle calls, texts, and a few basic applications. But, look a little closer, and you'll notice a button on the side which activates a feature almost unheard of in other dumb phones: reverse charging. This allows you to use a Type-C cable to connect another device and charge that from the Nokia's generous (for this segment, says New Atlas) battery.

The battery is powerful enough to enable this new Nokia device to have around 40 days of standby time. It should also be enough to top up an iPhone 17 almost to the brim. Ideal. So, it's a back-up phone and a charger.

The device is probably most suited to anyone planning on disappearing into the great outdoors for an extended period of time because, beyond its power bank trick, the 300 Charge is as basic as they come. The screen measures just 2.4 inches, there's only 4 MB of RAM and 4 MB of storage. Just like the old days. But there's a handy addition for campers and hikers because it has a dedicated flashlight on top, which is reportedly twice as bright as the one on an iPhone.

This could make for an ideal backup phone when you're out in the middle of nowhere. It also costs just 2,190 Philippine pesos (US$38) in the Philippines; the only trouble is getting your hands on one if you're located elsewhere. Check out the Nokia 300 Charge on the international website.