So it looks like my last Nokia blog was a day too early! On Monday Nokia officially* announced the release of the new remodelled Nokia 3310.
From first impressions, it looks like Nokia have kept some of the styling features of the original phone but slimmed it down and rearranged the navigation buttons. The 3310 looks very "space age", almost Marc Newson like. I guess the bold colours are to make the phone more of a fashion statement compared to the original.
There are some much-needed additions to modernise the phone. These include a large colour screen, a 2 Mpixel camera, and 3G connectivity. Keeping with the "back to basics" theme, the legendary Snake game comes as standard. Once again the 3310's strong point is its battery life, which is boasted to have 22 hours talk time or over a month on standby.
"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."
Juho Sarvikas - Chief Product Officer of HMD Global (the Finnish startup that currently owns the licence to Nokia)
Personally, I'm not a fan of the new model. In attempting to update an antique phone they have lost the real character of the original. The original 3310 was so great because it was the baseline for all phones of the time. It remained such a classic because of how simple and functional both technology and form. It didn't try to be a fashion icon, tie into any design movement or be anything it wasn't. The 3310 was simply an indestructible cheap phone with essential functions that anyone could use.
Nokia have released hundreds of similar button phones since the 3310. The only thing this phone really offers is an extended battery life. Can you really call this phone the new "Brick"? I truly believe this is just a publicity stunt to remind the world Nokia still exist.
If any other phones were to be given a revamp in the future, the iPhone 4 is the perfect candidate in my eyes. This phone was a breakthrough in the world of smartphones and represents a time before we got carried away with giant screens and fancy curves. If the technology of the iPhone 7 was implemented in the 4, I would buy it in a heartbeat!
