How much juice can a feature phone lend a smartphone? Nokia's answer is 10W. On the surface, the new 300 Charge looks like just another one of those retro-style button phones, but the body is noticeably thicker — that's because it's packing a 3,700mAh battery inside, rated for 37 hours of talk time and 40 hours of standby.
What's actually interesting here is the "Powerbank Mode." Once activated, the phone can deliver 10W reverse charging through the included 4-in-1 cable, which also comes with Micro USB, USB-C, and USB-A adapters — meaning a single cable can handle most devices' ports. The battery isn't big enough to replace a proper high-capacity power bank for travel, but as an emergency backup to squeeze a bit more life out of your phone, it's a nice bonus feature.
The back and sides feature a textured, non-slip finish, which Nokia describes as "rugged" and "sleek" — the former holds up better than the latter, which is more debatable. Another practical addition is the built-in high-brightness LED flashlight, which the company says is 4x brighter than the one on the Nokia 105 — reason enough to keep it stashed in a bag as a backup.
As for specs, the 300 Charge keeps things bare-bones: a Unisoc SC6531E processor paired with 4GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, a 2.4-inch display, and a QVGA camera — neither the photos nor the screen experience will impress anyone. That said, it does keep the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is more than can be said for plenty of smartphones costing far more.
There's no word yet on whether it'll launch in the US, but if it does, expect a price tag under $50.
