Eyes on Nokia's hot new dual-layer polycarbonate shell for Asha devices

While Lumia most definitely stole the show at this weeks Nokia World 2013 event in Abu Dhabi, there was more to see than just Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone devices. Nokia also introduced a new range of Asha devices, which while not exactly what we're in to, does have a pretty neat and unique feature. And that, is the dual-layer polycarbonate shell. And it rocks. We know there's at least a few of you out there that wanted to see this, so we grabbed a couple of photos to try and show it off. 

So, what exactly is it? The shell on the Asha devices like the new 502 and 503 has two layers to it. The outside is a clear polycarbonate layer, totally see through and not a trace of color. That comes beneath, where the second, colored polycarbonate layer resides. The effect is pretty unique, and with the clear layer over the top the colors underneath really pop. The green one we have here is really sharp and really bright. 

From some angles, you can see a little more of the clear than perhaps we'd like. The outer layer isn't the exact same shape as the inner layer, and as such the corners are a little sharper and have a little more of a see-through quality to them. But that's if we're being super picky, generally, it looks awesome. 

So, the big question is; why are we interested? Well, since this looks pretty hot, we'd love to see a future Lumia Windows Phone device come to market with this same kind of effect on the outside. There's nothing to say that Nokia would be doing such a thing, but we can only hope, right? 

Oh, and for what it's worth, we shot these few snaps from the show floor with the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine