Mobile World Congress 2017 - The Nokia 3310 is back!

MWC 2017 update

Everyone’s old favorite – the Nokia 3310 – is back! Loved the world over for its long-lasting battery, the ability to send SMS messages back when all we had was SMS, its simple user experience, and iconic design, the 3310 was everyone’s favorite feature phone back in the day for a few very good reasons. And the best news of all? The new version has Snake!

Details of the new 3310’s release stole the limelight at the preshow of the Mobile World Congress – the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry – which is currently taking place in Barcelona. The congress started on February 27 and continues until March 2.

New Nokia 3310 features

A modern classic reimagined, the upgraded Nokia 3310 is expected to have all of your favorites (did we mention Snake?!) – in a more attractive and brightly colored package. The phone will be available in glossy yellow and red, or matte blue and gray.

It will still qualify as a feature phone, rather than a smartphone, because of its limited internet facilities. This makes it ideal in emerging countries like India and South Africa where access to the internet is sometimes limited and constantly expensive.

Features of the 2017 version include a slimmer profile, 2.4-inch color screen, microSD storage of up to 32GB and an FM radio. It’ll be powered by the S30+ operating system, which allows web browsing but has a smaller range of apps than Android or iOS. The 3310’s single camera is also restricted to just two megapixels – but then, the target market for the phone was never wannabe photographers.

The fact that it runs on a 2.5G connection has received some criticism. The 3310 is unlikely to be released in Australia which is switching off its 2G connection this year. Other 2G operations which have closed include some in Singapore and AT&T in the US.

The true advantage over its fancier counterparts is its incredible battery life. We’re all used to not leaving the house without our charger, car charger and backup-just-in-case charger for our phones that refuse to last past lunchtime. But the Nokia 3310 will last, likely well into the next day. Its battery is expected to last for up to a month on standby and for more than 22 hours of talk time!

Just couldn’t resist

Independent Finnish company HMD Global, which has struck a 10-year brand licensing agreement with Nokia for phones and tablets, will also release Android-powered Nokia 6, Nokia c5 and Nokia 3 during this year. These are all smartphones and more in line with other phones currently being released.

Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer of HMD Global, said the new phones would combine the much-loved hallmarks of Nokia with best-in-class Android performance and a new level of craftsmanship.

"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. Fundamentally, it is about making sure that right across our portfolio we are delivering this pure Nokia experience.”

Says Ben Wood from the technology consultancy CCS Insight: "The Nokia 3310 was the first mass-market mobile and there's a massive amount of nostalgia and affection for it. If HMD had just announced three Android devices, they would have barely got a couple of column inches in the press. So, the 3310 is a very clever move and we expect it will sell in significant volumes."

The older version was available between 2000 and 2005. A simple phone not just for your granny, its practical design and almost indestructible build made it one of the most popular phones available at the time and sold 126 million units worldwide. That’s truly remarkable for a time when widespread mobile phone usage was not yet common.

The phone is expected to sell for around $50. It’s expected to be sold globally within the next quarter.

If you're interested in phones that are slightly more smart, have a look at the smartphone standouts at the Consumer Electronics Show which took place earlier this year.