Meet the New Nokia 3310


The Nokia 3310 is back - or at least will be soon. The iconic handset is reportedly set to be reborn later this month when HMD, the Finnish company that has the rights to the Nokia brand, recently unveiled a new version of the device.

Despite the wonders of today’s smartphones, with their 4G internet connections, touchscreens and endless choice of apps - the 3310 still holds a special place in many hearts.

Nokia sold more than 100 million of them, and at a rumored price of around £50, the new version could well feature as a popular second phone. Here’s why it holds such a cult status.

So rumours of a potential return for the iconic device this week has sent much of the technology world into a nostalgia-fuelled frenzy.

With the original device a major hit thanks to its simplicity, long battery life and incredible durability, any successor will need to be something truly special to replace the original Nokia 3310.
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But now it looks like we may have got our first look at what this new device could really look like.
The new Nokia 3310 that has received a major technological and hardware boost, but keeps much of the original’s iconic design.
Sporting a classic colorful molded poly-carbonate design that is 14mm thick, the new Nokia 3310 is updated for modern consumers with a number of extra features.

This includes a first-ever rear camera for the device, situated on the rear panel just above the Nokia logo.

The new Nokia 3310 phone would also sport a 1.5in color screen - a far cry from the original’s two-tone, blocky grey and green display.

There’s also a built-in FM radio, the ability to create your own ringtone, and charging via micro-USB.



There are speculations that the new Nokia 3310 would come with 8GB internal memory and a 1650mAh battery that would provide the much-loved long battery life - between 55 and 235 hours on standby.
As it is only a concept, there’s no news regarding price, release date or specific hardware for the new device, but we could find out all the details sooner than expected.

Nokia is set to reveal a number of new smartphones within the next few weeks - including possibly a new Nokia 3310.


The company is holding a launch event at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona, which begins on February 26th, where a budget Nokia device is set to be announced.

The refreshed version of the Nokia 3310 is expected to set customers back some €59 (roughly £50), according to information revealed by tipster Evan Blass.

Here are some details of the old Nokia 3310

 

Endless battery life

Today’s smartphones last a day if you’re lucky, but the 3310 could go on for more than a week - longer in some circumstances. The four black bars on the right hand side of the screen were reassuringly static (there was no panicking about percentages back then) and because it was the world’s most popular phone, everyone had a charger.

And if the worst came to the worst, you could swap out batteries, borrowing a friend’s in a pinch. Of course, batteries weren’t more advanced back then, phones just didn’t have color screens or

Bluetooth radios, but the convenience of the 3310 should serve as an example to today’s manufacturers.

 

Indestructible

If you’ve had a smashed screen or busted home button, you may well have pined for the days when your old Nokia could fall from the top of a three story building and survive intact.

The 3310’s plastic shell and clicky buttons - which could be removed and replaced created a toughness that meant the 3310 endured as an internet meme long after it left the shelves.




 Phone call quality

The 3310 helped mobile phones being more than just phones, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t also great at making calls.

This is no easy task, as Apple discovered in 2010 when the iPhone 4’s “Antennagate” meant calls were easily dropped on the brand new device. In fact, according to Ofcom, many metal and glass smartphones have inferior signal quality to the plastic dumb-phones of yore.

 

Smart before its time

The 3310 was dumb by today’s standards, but compared to some competitors it was a supercomputer. It had a stopwatch, alarm clock and calculator, and was able to send text messages of longer than 140 characters.

And while the Game Boy had been around for over a decade, the 3310 meant that games were instantly available. By far the most famous was Snake II, which needs no introduction. While it has been recreated on the touchscreen, there is no substitute for using the mechanical 2, 4, 6 and 8 to move around a low-resolution serpent.