At Techfresca, we promise to bring ‘fresh takes on fresh tech’, and essentially, that’s what we do… but not today.
Everyone has a soft spot for their first cellphone; mine was a cracked hand-me-up LG Chocolate. For many of us, that first cellphone was the near indestructible Nokia 3310, a relic from the time of frosted tips and AIM. Despite all of their technological shortcomings, they did the job we needed with out all of the bells and whistles we expect from today’s smartphones. Call it nostalgia, or whatever you want, but Nokia is resurrecting the sturdy son of a gun twelve years after it was discontinued in 2005. While this isn’t new technology by any means, it is making the biggest splash at this year’s Mobile World Conference and that’s saying a lot considering the competition from Samsung and LG. But maybe we shouldn’t be so surprised.
The more you think about it, the move, while initially seeming tone-deaf, actually comes across as an incredibly calculated. The Nokia 3310, while deficient in apps and web browsing, maintains one quality that seems to have been cast by the wayside by most manufacturers; longevity. While Apple and Samsung seem to design phones to become obsolete after a couple years, the 3310 was built to last. Your iPhone needs another recharging at 4pm? This baby’s got another 6 days in her. Shattered your screen for the second time this year? The Nokia 3310 might actually crack the pavement. You get the picture.
This seems to be a sentiment that resonates with consumers, and Nokia is definitely aware of that. The rebooted Nokia still boasts the same hard shell, albeit with some slight design modifications with a slimmer and more colorful design. Despite the modern design overhaul, the phone is still limited in terms of internet capabilities, offering 2G connectivity and running the Series 30 software, pre-installed with the Opera Mini browser for limited Internet browsing. The new Nokia 3310 features a 2 mega-pixel rear camera and an LED flash, so it might not be the phone of choice for taking choice selfies. The 3310 has also done away with the monochrome display and now offers a colorful 2.4 inch screen with 167ppi pixel density. In terms of battery life, this guy comes with a 1200mAh battery pack and is able to offer 22 hours of talk time, and up to 22 days (!) of standby time.
While the resurrected Nokia classic might not be the most forward thinking phone to come out this year, it’s certainly turning heads and for good reason. In an age of smartphone saturation, the Nokia provides a durable and reliable alternative, ideal for vacations, or just your standard technology detox. The phone is currently priced at $50.00 and is expected to be available for consumers in the second quarter of this year.
Oh, and yea, it still comes pre-installed with snake.
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