Nokia’s 207 and 208 prove it’s still the master of the feature phone

Nokia may be having a rough time in the smartphone world, but it’s still really good at making feature phones.

The company announced today the Nokia 207 and 208, a pair of 2.5-inch feature phones that offer fairly expansive feature sets for devices that cost around $68. Both will be available Europe later this year.

Both phones come with 3G radios, Internet connection sharing, and 30-day standby times, which Nokia says makes them ideal options not only for first-time phone owners, but also for those who want to leave their larger smartphones at home.

There are a few differences between the phones: While the Nokia 208 offers both dual-SIM support and a camera, the 207 offers neither. (According to Nokia, the 207’s lack of a camera makes it better “for people who work in places that ban camera phones on security grounds.”)

Nokia’s feature phone attempts are interesting to watch, if only because the company is still surprisingly good at making money off them. Consider the ultra low-cost Nokia 105, for example. While the device costs $20, it only carries a bill-of-materials of $13.50, which, coupled with its manufacturing price, gives it a profit margin of roughly 29 percent, according to a recent teardown from IHS iSupply.

Feature phones may not be that exciting, but they’re making Nokia the most cash.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SPqhxxhomLA