As the latest Nokia Windows Phones continue to race off store shelves Nokia has announced that sales of the popular Series 40 phones have hit 1.5 billion. The historic landmark was reached, fittingly with the purchase of new Series 40 phone Nokia Asha 303.

Nokia Asha 303: 10 features to get excited about

The stylish Nokia Asha 303, designed for those that love to browse the web and stay in touch through text and instant messaging, was purchased in São Paulo by Mayara Rodrigues. Mayara is a fan of staying in touch using social networks, so the Nokia Asha 303 is a good fit for Nokia’s landmark Series 40 phone owner.

Its powerful performance, driven by a 1GHz processor, 3G and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity makes light work of webpages. A 3.2-megapixel camera and up to 32GB of storage should be more than enough to get Mayara on her way to uploading photos to Facebook and twitter.

"We are incredibly proud to reach this milestone, Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President for Mobile Phones at Nokia said. 

“At a time when we are maintaining our commitment to connecting the next billion customers around the world - it is gratifying to consider how Series 40 devices have made mobile technology accessible and help continue to change people's lives for the better.”

Nokia’s first series 40 phone was the Nokia 7110. Like the Nokia Asha 303 it blurred the lines between a entry-mid-level feature phone and smartphones, combining features such as Nokia Maps, apps and a much-improved Nokia Browser.

As the Nokia Asha helps Series 40 reach the 1.5 billion mark, we look forward to more great Series 40 phones hitting stores around the world. Do you have a favourite Series 40 phone?