Many words have been said, songs sung and stories of varying degrees of reliability composed. Sooner or later, the model had to be revived - even the "photo-toads" pushed for this. In the end, it is more late than early, but the 3310 is back in service. Updated, invisible, but still push-button - here it is, the new Nokia of our dreams. Having received the device, we immediately compared it with the ancient progenitor.
What is in the box?
The original 3310 has sold over 120 million copies worldwide. An incredible achievement for one model! The name of the phone has almost become a household name, and the device has been ranked among the legends more than once. Not surprisingly, the announcement of the reincarnation of the Nokia 3310 at MWC 2017 generated more interest than all the other events of the exhibition combined. It was extremely difficult to approach the stand with the phone - they wanted to see and touch absolutely everything. Only the new iPhone can boast of such excitement.
We can hardly stop the trembling in our hands - here it is, the brand new Nokia 3310! Coming back 17 years after the release of the legendary progenitor! Did everything fit into this small box the size of several matchboxes? But it really did fit.
The kit comes with microUSB charging, and not proprietary, like its predecessor. Here is the documentation and headphones. The phone itself looks out of the box with the big eye of a huge display, but stylistically it still resembles an ancestor. The similarity is not least achieved through the color scheme. Let's clarify that we specifically, for comparison with the ancient Nokia 3310, bought a new product in a blue casing, but there will still be at least yellow, gray and red colors on sale.
Convenient or not?
We take the baby in our hand and are surprised. The device is light, all of itself is so bohemian, like Lada XRAY in comparison with a "penny". The old Nokia 3310 is much more brutal, first of all, due to almost twice the thickness (22 mm versus 12.8 in the new product) and weight (133 g versus 79), as well as a small screen. But our today's guest is a few millimeters wider and longer. How did this affect ergonomics?
Pay attention to the power connector of the new Nokia 3310
As for the convenience and user-friendliness, here we cannot fail to mention the mockingly rigid fastening of the cover of the new phone. Remember how it was in the first Nokia 3310? Pressed a button, pushed the lid up - voila! In order to remove the cover of the modern 3310, we needed four hands and two screwdrivers. This has never happened! Nails about the ledge, which, as the designers assumed, you will hook the panel, break like chips.
Either we had such a copy, or the problem is more extensive - time will tell, but it will not work to install a battery and a SIM card without chipping in the area of \u200b\u200bthe cover recess - checked. Moreover, all the time there is a risk of breaking this socket to hell. In our case, even the place of the break was indicated, although the matter did not come to deformation.
But the updated remnant of the Nokia 3310 fits perfectly in the hand. But the feeling of beauty leaves you as soon as you decide to call someone. The fact is that, in comparison with the ancestor, the keyboard unit, displaced by a large display, has become smaller, and even shifted downward. Because of this, reaching the buttons with your thumb is inconvenient.
Not a cake at all
In general, if you compare both phones directly with each other, then the first enthusiasm about the novelty very quickly give way to skepticism. Take governance, for example. A little higher, we have already noted the inconvenient location of the keyboard unit. But there are also other misses.
But buttons have become completely different, despite the similarity of shape. They feel differently - cheaper, perhaps - tactile. In addition, for the sake of the "remnant" design, they are much more recessed into the body and much worse grope. The response is quite feeble - go and understand whether the button was pressed or not. The backlighting of the keys is white and uneven, but you can see everything well in the dark.
The layout of the navigation block has changed. And the very fact of this is not bad. In all honesty, today the control system of the old Nokia 3310 is hopelessly outdated and instead of three buttons it is really more reasonable to implement a joystick in the form of a quad-band frame and a confirmation key in the center. Another question is that the developers of the novelty for some reason could not make the "new" control system convenient. The frame practically merges with the center button, which leads to frequent erroneous clicks. Elderly people (and these phones are now often called "grandmothers") are unlikely to adapt to this.
Compare the plastic thickness of the new and old Nokia 3310
The quality of the materials was also disappointing. Thick, rough, practically non-bending plastic has given way to thin and flexible plastic. Glossy red and yellow models look even worse - the device is instantly covered with scratches and looks like a cheap Chinese toy.
Another disadvantage compared to the original is the inability to change the front panel of the device.
Cake
But, of course, it would be foolish to argue that a modern phone, albeit a push-button, came out in all respects worse than the ancient ancestor. Yes, the Nokia 3310 still lacks 3G and Wi-Fi, but look at the screen!
Yes, this is not a five-line loophole with a resolution of 84 × 48 pixels. Fans of antiquity were pleased with a 2.4-inch color screen with a resolution of 320 × 240 pixels. Nothing special against the background of modern dialers, but next to the old man, the new 3310 looks like an alien from the future. In a sense, it is so.
Thank the telephone gods, the device is charged via microUSB and not via a proprietary connector. Autonomy is not inferior to the classic 3310. During three days of intensive testing of the model, the battery was discharged by about a third. That is, you can safely count on a week of work. This result is even better than that of the progenitor! Plus, the phone is just as fast. Fortunately, it will not be possible to load it with complex tasks.
Other advantages include the presence of a flashlight, microSD slot, 16 MB of its own memory and a camera. No, wait ...
Polutort
Oh yes, there is a whole 2-megapixel camera - the dream of the owners of the first Nokia 3310. In fact, you are unlikely to shoot anything with this device, because the quality of the pictures does not stand up to criticism. For some year 2000 - a breakthrough, but a modern phone shouldn't have such a camera, it's better without it at all.
The flash is only useful as a flashlight
Another dubious achievement is the presence of a radio that works when the bundled headset is connected to the 3.5 mm jack. It is checked - not any headphones can act as an antenna (for example, they do not fit from the iPhone). Well, don't, because the sound quality here is such that it will make you hate your favorite tracks.
20-25 years ago, it was cool to walk through the village with a radio. The current Nokia 3310 awakens those same feelings. Everything in my ears hisses, squeaks and squeaks, but how cool it is to hear at least some hints of music in an open field! It is a pity that today such a trick does not work, and the attack of nostalgia passes too quickly to cry, squeeze the device to the chest and not let go anywhere.
Bluetooth 3.0! That's what Nokia was missing! Finally, you can share hazy pictures taken with a 2MP camera with your friends! Let's be honest, this phone doesn't need Bluetooth at all. Any smartphone is better suited for content exchange, and conscious users of only telephone functionality will not even activate wireless communication.
Now it's called "The Snake"
In general, a bunch of menu items have been added to the new Nokia 3310 for some reason. Only nine shortcuts fit on the screen, but in reality there are 24! Scrolling down is really boring. At the same time, it is completely incomprehensible why it was necessary to make so many icons, because many of them are completely useless. The weather, the app store, the browser - all this, with the phone only supporting the 2G network (GSM 900/1800 MHz), is completely useless. Few people will try to "surf" through the slow EDGE these days.
At Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, \u200b\u200bHDM Global, which owns the Nokia brand, unveiled an updated version of the formerly famous Nokia 3310 phone.
According to the assurances of journalists, the new phone has inherited the iconic silhouette of the original model and has a modern interface.
Figure 1 shows the Nokia 3310 (2017) with different body colors. According to the information from the creators of the new phone, the color of the case will not change over time, since the paint is part of the plastic of the case, and not applied to it.
On May 22, 2017, I purchased this phone in one of the Svyaznoy stores for 3990 rubles, made in a dark blue matte design. Let's figure out what this "beast" is.
Met by clothes
The appearance of the 2017 Nokia 3310 leaves an ambiguous impression. On the one hand, a thin body, a 2.4-inch screen, optimally located number buttons. On the other hand, the back panel is only 1 millimeter thick, and the joystick under the screen is extremely inconvenient.
If we talk about the plastic from which the phone case is made, then even in appearance it is clear that it is of poor quality, albeit colored (as we were promised).
Figure 2 shows: original Nokia 3310 and Nokia 3310 (2017). So, the new phone is smaller, thinner, and therefore lighter. Is it good? In my opinion, no, because such a device can slip out of hand on the go.
The weight of the 2017 Nokia 3310 is 79.6 grams versus 133 grams of the original Nokia 3310.
The new Nokia 3310 has a micro-usb connector on the top of the case, and a headphone jack on the bottom. On the back of the case are located: speaker, camera lens and flashlight bulb.
Figure 3 shows the package bundle of the Nokia 3310 (2017) purchased in Russia.
Phone, 1200 mAh removable battery, charger, headphones, documentation in the box. There is no separate cable for synchronizing the device with a PC, and the wire from the charger is not disconnected.
Let's move on to the technical characteristics of the Nokia 3310 (2017).
Don't be useful, but be useful
As a matter of fact, the technical characteristics of the new Nokia 3310 are no longer a secret to anyone, so I won't cite them in this article, but I will share my impressions.
So, a 2.4-inch color screen with rounded corners. Good, no doubt about it. Convenient for dialing, viewing the contact list, typing sms messages. And the font can be increased.
Figure 4 shows the Nokia 3310 (2017) with the back cover and battery removed.
The ability to use two sim-cards of the micro-sim format, memory cards up to 32 GB. Good! By the way, on the "Svyaznoy" website in the "sim-card" column of the characteristics of Nokia 3310 (2017) there is a lengthy word "ordinary", and my standard sim-card did not fit into the device. Fortunately, the documentation about the format of supported sim cards is written.
Removable 1200 mAh battery. A controversial decision, in my opinion. With active calls, using mobile Internet, a flashlight and a camera, it lasts for three days. Philips, for example, offers us mobile phones with 3000 mAh batteries.
2 megapixel camera with flash. It is completely incomprehensible to me why a camera, a flashlight, an mp3 player, an FM receiver should be crammed into an ordinary mobile phone. Moreover, in the phone, which is positioned as the successor to the cult Nokia 3310.
Unfortunately, there is no infrared port. But there is Bluetooth, it works perfectly.
What about the Nokia 3310 (2017) with the software?
Operating system and programs
Forgive me, but I do not know a single decent saying about operating systems and applications ... Therefore, to the point.
The new Nokia 3310 runs on the Nokia Series 30+ operating system. The interface is made in a simple style, which is good news. But I could not rejoice at the software products. No, there are some useful ones (notes, calendar, calculator). But there are more useless ones: music player, FM-receiver, voice recorder, Opera browser, application manager and weather forecast. On a 2.4-inch screen with a resolution of 240x320 pixels, it is extremely necessary to surf the Internet, find out the weather forecast, isn't it?
The volume of the phone's memory is a modest 16 MB. Thanks to the support of memory cards, a modern person can download music, photos, videos to the phone. But is it just necessary? I have the same question regarding mobile Internet (GPRS).
Many of my peers, like me, enjoyed playing games on their phones. The original Nokia 3310 delighted me with two games: "Snake" and "Space impact 2". HDM Global has sewn one free game into Nokia 3310 (2017) - a new version of Snake. Personally, I passed it in three evenings, playing no more than an hour after work. Through the application manager, you are offered to download several games for money.
What doesn't kill me makes me stronger
As you know, the original Nokia 3310 was popular not only due to its size and weight (which guaranteed a comfortable position of the phone in the hand), and the simplicity of the interface. This phone is rightfully called a legend for its resistance to shocks and drops.
And that's where the Nokia 3310 (2017) has a problem. Viability test results showed:
- when dropped from a height of 1.5 meters to the floor, the body of the device did not receive noticeable damage;
- after being in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator for 2 hours, the phone continued to work, but after 5 minutes the battery charge dropped from 50% to 5%;
- when dropped from a height of 1.5 meters onto the asphalt, the body of the device was noticeably damaged (Figure 5).
If you recall the original Nokia 3310, then my device fell several times on the asphalt, ground and snow, and continued to work normally outside at temperatures below -15 degrees Celsius. In colder air temperatures, the battery was discharged quickly.
Thus, the 2017 Nokia 3310 is less resistant to external influences than the original due to savings in materials and a thinner body.
Of course, these days a mobile phone can be protected from physical deformation by tucking it into a silicone case. Nokia 3310 (2017), placed in such a case, becomes unprepossessing - it becomes more difficult to hit the number buttons with your finger the first time. What can we say about the joystick, which is inconvenient even without a cover.
Let's summarize.
A good start is common, a good end is rare
New versions of old films are not uncommon in cinema today. When the supply of ideas runs out, the writers take on shoveling some strong or medium-sized film (TV series) from the last century. Well, or they write a script based on a book.
HDM Global, which owns the Nokia brand, decided to enter the market and prove that their products are significantly different from Microsoft's Lumia line of smartphones. In terms of smartphones, the company will release Nokia models 3, 5, 6 and 9 running the Android operating system. And the decision to release a mobile phone Nokia 3310 (2017), in my opinion, will go sideways for the company.
Why? According to the company, Nokia 3310 (2017) has been released as a second phone for those who remember the original Nokia 3310. Now think about whether people who have used the legend for several years (and some still use it) will buy a new model? I don't think they will.
Today the choice is clearly not in favor of the Nokia 3310 (2017). Saving on materials, manufacturing in China and Vietnam, and, as a result, the instability of the apparatus to falls from a height, impacts and negative air temperatures. Smaller in comparison with the original dimensions and weight, which makes the phone inconvenient to hold in hand. Weak battery. Unnecessary applications that you can't get rid of. Oh yes! According to information from "HDM Global", the Nokia 3310 (2017) will have interchangeable themed back panels.
Of course, the 2017 Nokia 3310 can be used. Someone will find it convenient because of the size and weight (not everyone likes "heavy" phones). Someone will probably buy this device as a second phone. Someone will like that one device has a camera, flashlight, voice recorder, mp3 player, internet. Only by launching the Nokia 3310 (2017) on the market, HDM Global deliberately deprived the heir of the advantages of the original. Moreover, the new Nokia 3310 does not stand out in any way against the background of the existing mobile phones of Alcatel, Philips, Samsung.
In my opinion, the company "HDM Global" cheated by releasing a new mobile phone. It looks like the original Nokia 3310 but turns out to be a mediocre phone in use. As for the garlic, the brand owners should have released a model with a different name, because they failed to revive the legend. Will HDM Global meet expectations? Where will their marketing move lead? We will see this very soon.
Thus, we can conclude that the models of the 2000s. and 2017 are more differences than similarities. The original design has not survived, the modern version is thinner and lighter, it supports new services, the software has been replaced.
Start of sales and cost of the updated Nokia 3310 (2017)
HMD Global calls the approximate date of mass sales of the updated Nokia 3310 the second quarter of 2017. The price will be budget, about 49 € or 52 $. It is in the European market that manufacturers expect the main demand for the model, and they do not plan to bring it to the American market at all.
Start of sales of the updated Nokia 3310 in Russia. The price of the updated Nokia 3310
On May 16, sales of the updated version of Nokia 3310 started in Russia. The cost of the phone is 3990 rbl., which is more than 30% higher than the price originally estimated.
Advantages of the updated Nokia 3310 (2017)
One of the reasons for the high interest in the new model is, of course, the nostalgia of users who are tired of fragile and expensive smartphones, for the first time, symbolizing the progress of phones. Longing for the past is also played by such a marketing move as the game "Snake".
An unconditional advantage is the affordable price of the model. In addition, modern models are quite expensive to repair. In the event of a malfunction, Nokia 3310 elements are simply removed, which does not create problems for replacement or repair.
Like the original model, the remake boasts a powerful battery that, according to the manufacturers, is 22 hours of talk time and a month of battery life.
Of course, the manufacturers tried to repeat the durability and "indestructibility" of the phone at the beginning of the 2000s. However, it is too early to say how successful it was.
For the “non-advanced” user, the no-frills design of the phone and the non-touch screen are important points. It is easy to type messages on it, and the menu has a classic look. Navigation through applications is carried out in four directions of the navigation button-joystick (up, down, left and right), on both sides of which there are call and end buttons.
Disadvantages of the updated Nokia 3310 (2017)
The lack of modernity, a simple interface is the main drawback of the new Nokia 3310. Even budget smartphones support networks of the fourth generations () and Wi-Fi, which cannot be said about Nokia 3310. The camera of the model also does not differ in quality. If we take the 2000s, then one could only dream of such a camera, but in real 2017 it is an irrelevant decision. Most likely, the phone can rely on the audience for which the mobile phone is, in the old fashioned way, only a means of communication. Also, users buy the updated Nokia 3310 for history or as a second device.
Experts are careful with forecasts of the future of the updated Nokia 3310. Despite the active marketing campaign of the manufacturers, the 2017 model can hardly be called the reincarnation of the 2000 model. In addition, the requirements for mobile phones have changed significantly. Nokia 3310 was the flagship of its time, 2000s, and whether it will be able to conquer the modern audience for which the phone has become a way of life, the question is open.
Whether the updated Nokia 3310 will become a marketing built on nostalgia or a revived legend, how much the remake will be able to repeat the success of its predecessor and bypass the popularity of universal smartphones can only be judged after sales begin.
Elite models of the updated Nokia 3310
Two manufacturers of luxury devices at once, Gresso and Caviar, announced their intention to release an updated premium Nokia 3310. Gresso expects to preserve the parameters of the phone, but endow it with a metal case made from a slab of aircraft titanium, as well as pouring every button from titanium. This uniqueness will make the model premium and so durable that a fall from 10 meters will go unnoticed.
Caviar announced that it will release two exclusive models. One is distinguished by the presence of gold elements on the titanium case, applied using the Double Electroplated technology. The second is a unique bulletproof titanium engraved using the “Damascus steel” technique.
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Nokia has seen its rise, fall, and minor renaissance, but the Nokia 3310 has maintained its reputation as a reliable, durable, and comfortable companion throughout. That is why HMD Global, the head of the Finnish brand, decided to reissue the classic, releasing the 2017 Nokia 3310. We have collected all the reviews, live photos of the novelty and compared it with the original.
Recall that the original Nokia 3310 was presented in September 2000. Since then, 126 million of these phones have been sold. And now it returns with a new design and filling.
Comparison of dimensions and weight of Nokia 3310 and Nokia 3310 (2017):
- Old version: 113 × 48 × 22 mm + 133 g.
- New version: 115.6 x 51 x 12.8 mm + 79.6 grams.
Oddly enough, the updated version of the phone has fewer colors than the original - four versus five, but they are all identical, except for the blue in the original.
The screen has become colored and has grown in size - up to 2.4 inches. The glass covering the display is slightly curved in the style of the shape of the case itself - a pleasant visual effect is created.
The operating system is the modern S30 +, which was used by Nokia and Microsoft in branded phones. It gives you access to several basic applications, as well as offers Internet access via the Opera browser and entertains the classic game "Snake". The latter has been heavily updated.
Business people will also be happy to support two SIM-cards in the new Nokia 3310. The original cannot boast of that.
The working time is also on the level. 25 days standby time and 22 hours of continuous 2G talk. And here the novelty loses a little to the original, which was famous not only for its durability, but also for its battery. She could keep the phone in working order for 55 days, but the time of continuous calls was much less - about 2.5 hours.
The 2017 Nokia 3310 has a 2-megapixel main camera. The original phone from 2000 did not even have a hint of such possibilities.
Full specifications for Nokia 3310 (2017):
- 2.4-inch screen (320x240) with curved glass and polished to resist sunlight;
- 2 megapixel camera with LED flash;
- 3.5mm audio jack;
- two slots for SIM-cards (microSIM);
- support for 2G networks;
- 22 hours of work with continuous calls;
- FM radio and music player;
- dimensions: 115.6 × 51 × 12.8 mm;
- weight: 79.6 g;
- microUSB and 3.5 mm connectors;
- Bluetooth 3.0 SLAM;
- separate LED flashlight;
- 16MB internal storage and microSD slot up to 32GB.
But now you can buy the original Nokia 3310 on Ebay in a restored condition for only 20 euros.
Originally launched in September 2000, the Nokia 3310 has become a legendary phone, with over 126 million units sold since then, and the device has remained in the hearts of many fans forever. Today the legend is reborn again with the updated 2017 Nokia 3310.
Nokia 3310 Phone (2017) - First Review
With its amazing durability, long battery life, user-friendly design, and of course the Snake II game, the first version of the Nokia 3310 is as iconic as no other phone before or since. In fact, we cannot stress enough how “cool” the 3310 was for the mobile phone market in 2000. It may sound ridiculous to some of our younger readers, but at launch, the Nokia 3310 offered a lot of things that were rarely seen on other phones, such as a calculator, stopwatch, reminder, and sending large SMS text messages.
The Nokia 3310 is a legend that will forever remain in our collective memory as one of the best phones ever made. In fact, if someone asked us a couple of months ago if we would like the new 3310, the successor to the legend, we would answer no, because no device - past, present or future - can ever compare to these four digits. Alas, no one asked us, and HDM Global is now bringing the 3310 back to the market after a long and well-deserved retirement.
Yes, this is the new Nokia 3310 phone from 2017. So what is left or is new in it, besides the name of the legendary original, what can he offer? Let's find out ...
At first glance, the new 3310 looks similar to its predecessor - it retains the iconic oval outline of its older brother, has a similar whitish bezel around the screen, and its keyboard is almost a copy of the old model in terms of shape and ergonomics. However, the new Nokia 3310 is definitely lighter and much thinner than the original. It does not, alas, feel nearly as robust as its venerable predecessor.
The new Nokia 3310 received a bi-directional navigation button, unlike the original, a kind of "square", which we have already seen on newer models of Nokia mobile phones. This solution is not very user-friendly and also not very accurate. As for the keyboard, it has little feedback when entering text.
The original Nokia 3310 was known for its removable Xpress-On front and back panels. There is nothing like this in the new 3310. Despite the fact that the phone comes in different colors (red, yellow, blue and gray), only its back cover is removable to provide access to the battery.
Software and interface
The user interface of the new Nokia 3310 bears no resemblance to the original. The original 3310's horizontal scrolling menu has been replaced by a screen with a series of 30 rows of 3 x 3 icons.
In terms of pre-installed software, you have everything you would expect from a modern phone, including a web browser and an app store, although their functionality is severely limited by some of the device's technical flaws.
The new Nokia 3310 only comes with one game pre-installed, and yes, it's Snake, but not the original. This is a colorful 2D reworked Snake II developed by Gameloft. Sadly, none of the other classic 3310 games are found here, which means you won't be able to blast aliens in space or play Bantumi.
On the other hand, the phone comes with a lot of classic pre-loaded ringtones from Nokia. They are all polyphonic, and it’s not clear whether this can be considered an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on your point of view (and the amount of nostalgia). But, there are no ringing, ear-cutting, monophonic melodies like those that you will find on the original 3310.
Battery
The new Nokia 3310 has a 1200 mAh battery that won't offer too much, but it is capable of about 22 hours of talk time and a staggering 30 days of standby.
To put things in perspective, that's about double the original 3310 across the board, perfect for a phone that's likely to be mostly in a case or pocket for extended periods of time.
Camera Nokia 3310 (2017)
The new Nokia 3310 has a main 2MP camera with LED flash, but doesn't get a selfie sensor on the front. The rear shooter will be able to capture acceptable footage and record video, that's about all we can say about the new Nokia's camera for now.
Storage and playback system in Nokia 3310
The phone comes with 16MB of storage, which thankfully can be expanded up to 32GB using the SD card slot.
In addition, the phone plays video and MP3 files, and also has a 3.5mm headphone jack and FM radio, which is undoubtedly a plus.
Outcome
The new Nokia 3310 has no Wi-Fi, 3G, GPS, or a front camera or high-resolution display. It's not a 3310 in the sense that it tries to be as innovative and revolutionary for its time as the original 3310, just because HMD Global says so. The company doesn't do for the mobile world today what the original Nokia 3310 did 17 years ago, but instead relies on its name to get attention.
The new 3310 is just your regular budget Nokia phone, wrapped in a shell that barely resembles the design of the original 3310.
If you are looking for a cheap backup phone with amazing battery life, then you should definitely consider the new Nokia 3310 with a price tag of € 49 (Rs 3,000). Otherwise, if you are not under the influence of powerful nostalgia until now, the new Nokia 3310 is not worthy of attention, time and money.
