Nokia maybe the leader in the mobile phone industry, but they’re seriously lagging behind in the touchscreen phone segment of the market especially when pitted against runner-up and rival Samsung. To date, they’ve only got several touchscreen phones in their collection, namely the 5800 XpressMusic, 5530 XpressMusic, N97, and the upcoming 5800 Navigation Edition.

That’s about to change, though, as they’ve just announced their latest touchscreen phone, the Nokia 5230. This baby comes with a 3.2-inch 360×340 display, 2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, 3.6Mbps HSDPA connectivity, Ovi Maps, and microSD card support of up to 16GB in capacity. Just like its looks, there’s really nothing new or exceptional about its specs, but what makes the Nokia 5230 extra special is its price. Set to retail for as little as €149 (about $212) excluding carrier subsidies, this can definitely challenge the LG Cookie as far as pricing and features are concerned.

Considering that more consumers these days are now also looking to get more bang for their buck, we can certainly see this becoming a potential hit for Nokia despite its recycled look and average features. The Nokia 5230 will be available in various colors and will begin shipping in Q4 which, if it manages to make on time for the holiday shopping spree, should make someone very happy this Christmas.

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