HMD has launched the Asha 305 in the Philippines, reviving the Asha name on an ultra-basic 4G handset running Pulse OS. The phone is priced at PHP 3,990 and uses HMD’s Android AOSP-based software, which ships without Google services or the Google Play Store.
The Asha 305 is built around a 5-inch LCD with an 854 x 480-pixel resolution, a Unisoc T137 chipset, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. A microSD card can expand storage by up to 128GB.
Its hardware is deliberately modest: there are 2MP cameras on both the front and rear, while the user-removable 2,500mAh battery charges over USB-C at 5W. HMD rates the phone for up to 32 hours of battery life. Connectivity includes dual-SIM 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS.
At 145g, the handset is available in black and lime green. Pulse OS is intended to provide a lighter alternative to a conventional Google-equipped Android phone, relying on HMD’s own app store and lightweight applications instead of the usual Google software bundle.
The Asha 305 name previously appeared on a Nokia model released in 2012, which had a 3-inch display and 32MB of RAM. HMD’s new model, identified as TA-1779, is also listed in the company’s conformity documentation for Romania. That indicates European documentation exists, but does not confirm a broader European retail launch. Availability beyond the Philippines remains unannounced.
