The Nokia 3310 has
long been considered one of the world's greatest phones, and much to the
delight of old school mobile users, the device made a comeback at Mobile World Congress
(MWC) in Barcelona this week.
Expected to
carry a €50 (£42, $52) price tag when it hits
stores later this year, the new and improved handset now sports a colour
screen, rather than the monochrome display of old. Saying that, it still looks
to please those that prefer the simple life - reminiscent of a time
without the likes of disappearing selfie videos, emojis and augmented reality
filters.
I got to play
around with the nostalgic Nokia phone at
the show. Here are my first impressions.
I get hands-on with Nokia's updated 3310 at MWC 2017 [Credit: Lee Bell]
Design
The funny thing
about the 2017 version of the Nokia 3310 is
that you find yourself liking the things that you'd usually hate in more modern
smartphone offerings. I mean, it wouldn't feel like the 3310 if it wasn't
made of a nice and cheap-feeling plastic, so I was oddly pleased with how
bargain-basement the build quality is.
The Nokia 3310 is chunky by today's phone standards [Credit: Lee Bell]
In this instance, you kind of want the 3310's design to feel cheap and
cheerful, mainly to ensure it distances itself as far away as possible from the
modern flagship handsets of today. And that it does. It's cumbersome, tawdry
and every button press reminds you just how cheap the phone really is.
The 3310 also comes in some seriously bright neon-esque colours, which make
the whole user experience even more tacky, but fun, too. All-in-all, it feels
great in the hand. Light, smart and simple.
Display
Nokia new 3310 phone builds on the original 1.5-inch monochrome display
with a 2.4in 240 x 320 resolution screen, which is quite an upgrade,
considering.
As you'd expect, it's on no par to modern standards but that's the beauty
of it. This phone is all about getting as far away from the polished 1080p
screens that we've come to take for granted. And it still does the job. It's
bright, clean, and as pixelated as any early-2000 phone was, and it's this
that makes you want one.
Performance
Navigating to and from the main menu and back again is made simple with the
3310's physical keys. A directional pad is joined by Back and Call buttons.
In terms of the Internet, the 3310 has 2.5G, so you can surf the web with
the Opera Mini browser. You can get on Facebook and Twitter if you have to, but
don't expect a fluid iPhone-esque experience. And it also has good old SMS
messaging and a phonebook you can store all your friends' numbers in so you can
call them. Yes, how crazy.
The 3310's performance is nippy enough for simple tasks [Credit: Lee Bell]
Snake
The main concern when trying out the 3310 for the first time was:
"Does it come bundled with one of the most addictive games of all
time: Snake?" Thankfully, I can confirm that it does. But don't get too
excited.
The retro phone game has been given a makeover, and not in a good way. You
now control a more animated amphibian that collects red apples from various
points across the screen, and in my opinion, it's way too busy now. You can
even travel diagonally. Say what?! The true beauty of Snake was that it was
simple, and Nokia shouldn't have strayed too far from the game we all know and
love. Nevertheless, the fact that it's there at all is enough to make us fall
in love with the 3310 all over again.
Battery and connectivity
The 3310's poor resolution ensures battery life doesn't
disappoint. This thing can be charged and left lying around on standby for a
month before it needs juicing up again, and you can talk for an entire day
without needing to reach for the microUSB cable. It's also got a 3.5mm
headphone jack for MP3 playback, something even the latest iPhone doesn't have.
There's also MicroSD card slot under the battery inside the phone's casing.
Camera
You can't compare the 3310's 2 megapixel camera to those featured in
smartphones of today, Think back to the first smartphone camera you ever used -
that's how the 3310 feels.
The 3310's camera is low quality but very nostalgic at the same time
[Credit: Lee Bell]
Input from forbes
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