HMD Asha 305: a $75 Android phone built on nostalgia
HMD Global is bringing back the Asha brand — a name that last appeared on phones running Nokia's old Series 40 software in 2012 — as a proper Android smartphone. The HMD Asha 305 has surfaced through certification filings and leaked renders shared by insider SmashX_60, who previously called the Icon Flip 1 correctly. An estimated price of 2,390 Thai baht puts it at roughly $75, squarely in the ultra-budget tier.
The look
The renders show a compact handset with a camera module on the back that takes obvious design cues from current iPhones. It's a bold aesthetic choice for a phone at this price. The body measures 147 × 72 × 10 mm — a little thick by 2026 standards, but the 5-inch screen keeps it pocketable.
The specs
Inside, the Asha 305 runs a Unisoc SC9832E quad-core processor — a chip that's been around long enough to be considered old by current benchmarks — paired with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. It ships with Android 14 Go, the stripped-down version of Android designed for low-memory devices, which should keep everyday tasks running smoothly enough. Multitasking and gaming are not what this phone is for.
HMD Asha 305 (Smart Feature Phone Cataglories)
— HMD_MEME'S (@smashx_60) July 10, 2026
- Fluid liquid 5.0" FWVGA
- 5MP / 2MP
- 2/16GB, 3/32GB + micro SD 128GB
- Unisoc SC9832E
- Android 14Go (Ultra Light AOSP Version)
- 2500mAh removable
- USB-C, BT, WiFi, Hotspot, GPS, Dual LTE, 3.5mm.
- Mist Black, Glacier Green pic.twitter.com/ktkkzfz5t5
The 2,500 mAh battery sounds small, but with a low-resolution 854 × 480 display and an energy-efficient chip, it should last a full day of light use. Cameras are a 5 MP rear shooter and a 2 MP front camera — functional, not creative tools. Notebookcheck notes that the original 2012 Asha 305 had just 32 MB of RAM and a 3-inch screen, so the hardware gap is real, even if the name is the same.
What it's up against
At under $100, the Asha 305 enters a segment already owned by the Motorola Moto G series and Samsung's Galaxy A lineup — phones with stronger chips, better cameras, and established retail support. The original Asha was popular in emerging markets, not in the US or UK, so the nostalgia angle is limited here.
LTE support, confirmed via certification, is one genuine upgrade over the 2012 model, per NokiaMob. But no US or UK launch date has been announced. Certification points to an initial release in markets like Thailand, likely in the second half of 2026. If the Asha 305 does reach Western markets, it would fit a narrow use case: a first phone for a child, a cheap backup, or something you don't mind losing. For anyone wanting more performance, the money stretches further with established alternatives.
