It's a good day to be nostalgic as Finnish start-up HMD Global, who produces phones with Nokia brand took to the stage on Sunday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to unveil a revamped Nokia 3310 that was one of the wildly popular phones all around the world and almost 126 million were produced until they decided to halt production and to phase it out in 2005.
The phone was relaunched after 17 years from when it was first launched. According to many experts, it's a fantastic strategy to re-establish Nokia's phone brand.
The new Nokia 3310 is a balance of what made this phone a legend and modern-day technology. The firm promises that it still has the same sturdiness that it was famous for and thankfully they have not let go of the famous "Snake" game. Moreover, the phone also has the typical 3310 ringtones. "For the Nokia 3310 we just couldn't resist. We wanted to reward loyal Nokia phone fans and make a statement that rich heritage, innovation and modern design can go hand-in- hand," HMD's chief product officer Juho Sarvikas said.
It is slightly thinner than old 3310 and sports a colored look rather than the drab monochromatic feel of the past. All those who were thinking of using it as a second phone will be delighted to know that the device is expected to have a battery life that is going to last throughout a month. It is also expected to deliver more than 22 hours of talk time, according to HMD.
It relies on 2.5G connectivity which is much slower than 3G or 4G, but when you think that it's a Nokia 3310 it won't feel that bad.
Actually, this phone is hoped to do well in emerging markets as a primary phone and in the other markets as a secondary or backup phone.
The new Nokia 3310 also has a modicum of new age tech thrown in. Moreover, we have a headphone jack, SD card slot for holding music and photos, an FM radio and a 2 megapixel single camera. The new 3310 is going to cost €49 that is roughly around SGD 72.77 and will be available for grabs at the second half of the year.
"Why wouldn't you buy this like candy? If you see this hanging on the shelf at the checkout in a [see-through] package, then you'd just buy it as an accessory," HMD's chief executive Arto Nummela told the BBC.
