Nokia 3310 Makes A Comeback. Is It Time For Phones To Go Retro?

It’s 2017, and a lot of us are addicted to our smartphones. As soon as we wake up, we rush to our smartphones to check whether the boss has mailed, or to check Snapchat or even to see if a blue tick has appeared on a WhatsApp message sent the previous night.

But 17 years ago, things were very different. In fact, if you owned a mobile phone back then, it was most likely to be a Nokia 3310. And this was no ordinary phone at the turn of the millennium. It was rugged, packed with the most addictive games at the time and lasted for days on a single charge. In fact, it was quite a status symbol when it was first launched and continued to be one till 2005, after which it was discontinued. But after five years and more than 120 million shipments, the phone had become ubiquitous. Even today, you can find it in some households and in the grey market.

This week, there’s good news and (not so) good news for 3310 fans. The Nokia 3310 has made a comeback and it’s available at just Rs 3,310. The company says that on a single charge, the phone can last for nearly 25 days on standby. It’s been pre-loaded with a modern version of the iconic game “Snake”, which is what made the original 3310 such a viral phenomenon in the first place.

But the phone isn’t as tough looking as the first one. Instead, it’s a lot sleeker, lighter and now comes with a 2.4-inch curved window colour QVGA (240*320) display. The phone has been launched by HMD Global, a Finnish startup, which is the exclusive licensee of the Nokia brand.

The new Nokia 3310 comes with a dual slim slot, and no matter which MicroSim(3G or 4G ready) you put in, it only supports 2G network. There’s no WiFi and although it comes pre-loaded with Opera Browser, you can forget about using Instagram, YouTube or Snapchat on this phone.

That brings us to the key question. Who would buy this phone in an age of 4K video, augmented reality, wearables and the like? Perhaps that’s the whole point. If you’d like to cure your smartphone addiction, then this might just be an ideal antidote. In this Bloomberg piece about ditching your smartphone, the author says, “Kudos to HMD for creating this intriguing opportunity, even if it doesn't lead to commercial success.”

Maybe it’s not a binary choice! We took to the streets of Mumbai to find out what people think about this phone and found out that while most young people weren’t interested in owing this “classic”, many users of the original phone seemed intrigued by this relaunch and wanted to pick it up as a secondary phone for a couple of reasons – great battery life and nostalgia.

This rendition of the phone might not be about selling millions as much as it’s about grabbing eyeballs. And as a feature phone, it might not be as commercially successful as the previous one, but it’s certainly created a buzz around the world since it was announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year. And if it’s nostalgia that the company was banking on to generate that buzz, then it has succeeded.

Here are the specifications for the new Nokia 3310, as provided by the manufacturer:

• System: Dual band 900/1800 MHz

• Available in dual SIM variant (microSIM)

• Software platform: Nokia Series 30+

• Dimensions: 115.6 x 51.0 x 12.8mm

• Weight: 79.6 g (including battery)

• Display: 2.4’’ curved window colour QVGA (240*320)

• Connectivity: micro USB, 3.5mm AV connector

Bluetooth 3.0 with SLAM

• Camera: 2Mpxl camera with LED flash

• MicroSD card support up to 32GB*

• LED torchlight

Operating times

• Standby time: up to 25.3 days**

• Talk time: up to 22.1 hours**

• MP3 playback up to 51.0 hours

• FM radio playback up to 39.0 hours