When you think of the brand Nokia, you almost find yourself walking down memory lane. Attach the digits 3310 to it, and it’s nostalgia-fest! I got my hands on a brand new Nokia 3310 (2017) at the official launch event of Nokia’s new phones a couple of weeks ago. As someone who used to own a Nokia 3310 in the days of yore and having had the privilege of using the 2017 version of the phone for a while now, I am glad to say that the nostalgia hasn’t worn off.
Having said that, however, the Nokia 3310 will not be replacing my trusted Sony Xperia XZ Premium and LG G6 as my primary phone. “Why”, you ask? Well read on…
The Nokia 3310 (2017) maintains the design cues of its previous incarnation, including the rounded corners and curved screen window. This, Nokia claims, will make for better readability in sunlight. The reboot also comes with new push buttons. Apart from newer modifications and changes, the new Nokia 3310 no doubt brings a wave of nostalgia for the brand’s fans.
The new Nokia 3310 is available in four different colour options – Warm Red, Yellow, Dark Blue and Grey. If you are among those who loved feature phones from Nokia then this one is certainly for you. One of the stand-out features of the Nokia 3310 is its massive standby time of up to a month!
The new dual-SIM Nokia 3310 also includes the regular Micro-USB port and ditches the pin charger. It features Bluetooth 3.0 with Nokia’s SLAM technology. You also get a 2.4-inch QVGA (240×320 pixels) non-touch colour display. In terms of operating system, the new 3310 runs on Nokia Series 30+ OS and comes with 16MB storage. It also supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 32GB).
Turn the phone around and you come face to face with a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash. The 3310 also features an FM radio and a removable 1200mAh battery that offers 22 hour talk-time and month-long standby time, as mentioned earlier. And, finally, the classic Snake game is back with the new 3310, which has been optimised for the new colour screen.
Now on to the question at hand – is the Nokia 3310 for you? The Nokia 3310 only supports 2G connectivity – it does not offer 3G, 4 G or even Wi-Fi connectivity. In today’s day and age, where everyone is obsessed with social media tools and data consumption, the Nokia 3310 might not be able to fit the bill for most.
The 3310 also does not have support for popular apps. The phone comes pre-installed with select apps but there’s no WhatsApp, Facebook, or Twitter. Considering that WhatsApp has replaced texts for many of us, it’s going to take some adjustment.
The performance of the built-in 2MP camera cannot stand up to the cameras that accompany smartphones today. Also, 2.4-inch QVGA display is not suitable for any sort of media consumption.
Having said all of that, the Nokia 3310 was not designed to be a smartphone to begin with. It is a feature phone and hence, all the points I have mentioned above just negates itself. As a feature phone, the Nokia 3310 really does its job and with aplomb. It won’t replace your smartphone on the next business trip, but the Nokia 3310 can be your second phone. For a price of AED 199, the Nokia 3310 is a good buy.
Price: AED 199
