My best friend, who doesn’t like smartphones, had an original NOKIA 105 (one hundred and five—you’ll see about the 150 a little further down), that is, a genuine NOKIA, but after loooooong years of use, and despite it being in perfect condition (as genuine NOKIAs were), it broke because it was losing contact with the SIM and “dying.”
He bought a new one. Another 105, because he had been completely satisfied with it. It was nothing like the old one he’d had, even though it looked the same: an awful, incomprehensible Greek menu (my friend doesn’t know English)—and awful software, too. Both of these made it useless.

Why was the new one useless? Because for quite a few years now, the NOKIA brand for mobile phones has been acquired by HMD Global, and apparently, to make more money, they’ve made it shoddy (obviously all of them; they couldn’t have done it for just one model).

Since the new NOKIA 105 was useless, after a few days my friend went and bought another NOKIA, a 150. They sold it to him as a genuine NOKIA.
• I tell him: What do you mean, a genuine NOKIA, when it’s been HMD Global / NOKIA for years now ... there’s no way it can be a genuine NOKIA; it’s HMD.
• He tells me it’s genuine.
• I tell him: Open it and take out the battery; the manufacturer and model details are inside. He opens it, and it says HMD Global.
• I ask him: Are you happy with it?
• He tells me: Its Greek menu is OK, understandable (how did that happen?), but the letters are small.
I looked at the letters on the screen too, and even though: a) its screen is quite large (so it could fit a bigger font), and b) I was wearing reading glasses, I could barely read them—they were such tiny Greek fonts. Without glasses, I wouldn’t be able to read them. I’m talking about the 150 model now. So it’s not suitable for an elderly person, even though all feature phones are aimed primarily at older people.
I looked through its menu to see whether there was an option to change (increase) the font size for the menus. There wasn’t; that’s just the size it is.

I wonder: Since feature phones (basic mobile phones) are aimed primarily at older people, who often don’t know English either, isn’t it essential for any feature phone to have easy-to-use software, an understandable Greek menu, a sufficient font size, and a loud earpiece so an older person can hear when someone calls them? And a decent microphone, so the other person can hear them too? How hard is it to get this combination right? Apparently it isn’t hard (all brands used to offer it); they just don’t care anymore, in order to make more money.

I told my best friend: Don’t have high expectations for the new phone. Expect low build quality, which means it’ll break much sooner than the old genuine NOKIA 105 you had.
If it really does break, I’ll edit this and let you know about the new NOKIA (HMD Global) 150, and of course I’ll lower the rating from the 3 stars I’ve given it now.

My opinion: Avoid NOKIAs (HMD Global)—there haven’t been genuine NOKIAs for years. If the phone you’re thinking of buying is a NOKIA, the outside of its box, where the manufacturer and the details of that particular device (IMEI, etc.) are listed, will say HMD Global.

Of course, the other brands have also made their feature phones (basic mobile phones) shoddy—apparently they don’t give this category the attention it deserves, prioritizing profit maximization by reducing software and hardware quality. After all, for how many more years will there be a customer base for this category of basic mobile phones?
So, whatever brand you choose, before buying it, check the RECENT reviews here on Skroutz (the old ones from years ago don’t tell you much), and if you’re buying it from a physical store and go there, ask to try it before you take it. Check that:
• It has easy-to-use software,
• It has an understandable Greek menu,
• It has a sufficient font size,
• It has a loud earpiece so an older person can hear when someone calls them,
• It also has a decent microphone, so the other person can hear them.

I have been using the Nokia 150 (2023) as my daily driver for a month now. The purpose of buying it was to disconnect from the Grid (Internet/Social Media/etc.). I wanted a phone that would not have internet connectivity in its design.

As a simple everyday phone, it is very good. It has a calendar, camera, voice recorder, calculator, and its battery lasts exactly one week with heavy call usage. I charge it every Sunday. The screen is bright and the colors are very good. Its resolution is satisfactory, without noticeable pixelation. It gives a new retro feeling.

Now, some details that someone should know before buying it: It has a limitation on the number of characters that can be entered for a name (16 characters). It is not enough for many names if you are used to writing full names like I do. It does not have synchronization with Android, nor does it import from a vcf file. You can only import from the SIM, or else you have to manually re-enter all your contacts, which took me an afternoon at first. On the other hand, the most serious issue is that it does not allow you to enter more than one number for each name. Also, searching for names is case sensitive, so if you search for "George", it will not find "Γεώργος Τάδε". This means that the best strategy is to enter names in all lowercase letters to make the search work without many movements. (To search in contacts, you do the following: As you open the contacts, you start typing the name you are looking for. By default, the phone puts you in lowercase Greek, which is why it is convenient to write the names in all lowercase Greek).

Apart from these peculiarities, it has a powerful flashlight that also works as a flash in photos, contrary to what the reviews on the internet say. You just have to adjust it first. Additionally, its radio is very good and works without handsfree. The loudspeaker is not at the level of expensive smartphones, but it is very good for its size. With its alarm, it is impossible for everyone in the house not to wake up. It has a call and message log, and it also records calls. Its camera is nothing special, but it is sufficient for taking pictures of codes, a supermarket list, and other practical things. Do not expect to go on a honeymoon and take great photos or videos with it.

Since I bought it as soon as it was released, its firmware has some bugs, such as distortion of the letter "Ε" in the word "Επιλογ." momentarily before locking (you don't even notice it and it's not a problem, I just mention it). Or, the ringtone returns to the default Nokia tone if you remove the battery. It does not have VoLTE (only GSM), it does not have VoWiFI, so call quality is at the best levels that 2G can provide, but in places where there is 4G and not 2G, it will have interruptions. Fortunately, these issues are rare (mainly, I have encountered them in buildings where they have installed 4G repeaters but do not transmit the 2G spectrum).

Overall, for someone who does not want to leave a digital footprint but wants to have a telephone experience similar to what we had in 2004, it is an excellent device, with a sturdy construction and very beautiful. It is not the Nokia quality we remember, but for a non-mainstream device, it comes close. It is worth its money.