Nokia 6300 & Nokia 8000: Nokia’s cheapest WhatsApp phone yet

As expected, Nokia has launched two new feature phones that offer a major throwback to the good ol’ days: the Nokia 6300 4G and the Nokia 8000 4G. Both have designs that are clearly inspired by some of Nokia’s iconic candybar phones in the past, although they come with some 2020 functionality, including WhatsApp.

This is due to KaiOS, the operating system that both phones run on. Additionally, they share the same processor, the Snapdragon 210, and of course, they both feature 4G connectivity (don’t take that for granted, if the Nokia 5310 rebirth is anything to go by).

Let’s quickly break things down.

Nokia 6300 4G

The 6300 4G looks pretty much identical to the classic Nokia 6300 (first launched in 2017), which isn’t a bad thing at all. You do get a 2.4″ LCD display pushing a resolution of 320×240 pixels, and there’s a single VGA camera on the rear—so I wouldn’t be using this to take too many photos, if I were you.

There’s 4GB of onboard storage, and you can expand that via a microSD slot (up to 32GB). Just like classic Nokia phones, you can remove the 1,500mAh battery (chargeable with microUSB) if you need to, although a 25-day battery life (on 4G) should be sufficient for… anyone and everyone. And of course, you get a 3.5mm headphone jack—and an FM radio receiver, because… well, I suppose it might come in handy.

Another “modern” feature that’s available on the 6300 4G is support for WiFi hotspots. And KaiOS also offers Google Assistant support, as well as access to other apps such as Facebook and YouTube. Nokia also says that this is the cheapest phone from the company with WhatsApp support, and official pricing is set at EUR 49 (~RM238).

Nokia 8000 4G

Moving onto the Nokia 8000 4G. Despite its 8000 moniker, it doesn’t have any of the slide-out keypads that the series is famous for. You get a 2.8″ QVGA display, while there is a 2MP camera on the rear (I still wouldn’t use this for any sort of photography, however).

Again, there is 4GB of storage and a microSD slot, a well as a 3.5mm headphone jack and FM receiver. The 8000 4G also comes with a WiFi hotspot feature, as well as support for WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube (plus whatever else you can find on the KaiStore).

Sustaining the device is a 1,500mAh battery which you can charge via microUSB, with around 25 days of standby time promised on 4G connectivity. Despite near-identical specs, it’s priced a little higher than the 6300 4G, at EUR 79 (~RM385).

Unfortunately, we don’t have any details on a Malaysian release just yet. Do keep SoyaCincau.com bookmarked on your browsers for future developments.