This week a trio of new handsets launched in Beijing, cementing Nokia’s ongoing commitment to CDMA. The Nokia 1506 is Nokia’s most affordable CDMA phone to date, and will be the first of the trio to see the light of day when it launches in China before the end of the year. It will be closely followed by the 6316s and 3806 in the first quarter of 2010.

The 6316s, available in black, gold and red, is very much a multimedia specialist, boasting web browsing, music, imaging and GPS within its neat slider form factor. A 2.2-inch WVGA screen, a 2-megapixel camera and Bluetooth 2.1 complete a generous feature spec, and built-in 3G will help people get the most from the integrated China Telecom services and applications on board.

The Nokia 3806 is a classic candybar all-rounder in the finest Nokia tradition, combining versatility and affordability in an elegant design featuring a subtle silver trim lining the black, white or gold handset. Like the 6316s, it features a 2.2-inch WVGA screen, and its 2-megapixel camera records video too, with a memory card slot supporting cards of up to 4GB. The 3806 also comes with Health Assistant software, which claims to help you stay healthy and better manage the stress of daily life.

The ultra-affordable Nokia 1506 may be Nokia’s cheapest CDMA phone yet, but you wouldn’t think so by looking at it. Its slender monoblock design and high-gloss black or plum colour scheme are offset by a metallic Navi key, giving the 1506 a design sophistication not normally seen in a budget handset. When it comes to features and ease of use, simplicity is very much the byword here, although the 1506 does come with a built-in voice recorder and integrated handsfree speaker.