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BY KILLIAN BELL | FEBRUARY 14, 2017 # HMD GLOBAL # MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS # MWC # NOKIA # NOKIA 3 # NOKIA 3310 # NOKIA 5 # NOKIA 6 MOBILE
No, there is not a typo in that headline. Nokia really is bringing back its iconic Nokia 3310 this year, according to a reliable source. It will be one of three handsets unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona later this month.
Before smartphones became so popular, Nokia’s incredibly successful feature phones made it an absolute behemoth in the mobile industry. One of its most recognizable devices was the 3310, a handset that sold a whopping 126 million units worldwide.
Almost 17 years after its release, the 3310 is still remembered for its near-indestructible build and stellar battery life. Nokia is hoping to capitalize on that by relaunching a “modern version” of the device this year in partnership with HMD Global.
Details are still scarce for now, but it’s thought the new 3310 will be very similar to the original. Battery life and build quality will be its focus once again, and the handset will be priced incredibly competitively to “win over nostalgic former owners for use as second phone.”
According to the ever-reliable Evan Blass writing for VentureBeat, the handset will cost just €59 (approx. $63). The device will primarily target European markets, while plans for other regions like North America are unknown at this point.
Relaunching the 3310 might seem somewhat pointless in 2017, but it could be a genius idea. Nokia could sell a lot of units to those who still have great memories of the original, and even if it doesn’t, the relaunch will surely spark new interest in the Nokia brand.
In turn, that could raise awareness of new Nokia devices. Blass adds that the Finnish firm will launch another two Android-powered smartphones at MWC, all of which will be manufactured by hardware partner HMD.
They are expected to be named the Nokia 3 and the Nokia 5. The Nokia 5 will reportedly use the same Snapdragon 430 chip as the recently-released Nokia 6, with a smaller 5.2-inch display, 2GB of RAM, and a 12-megapixel rear-facing camera.
It’s unclear what we can expect from the Nokia 3, but Blass reports it will start at just €149 (approx. $158), whereas the Nokia 5 is likely to cost €199 (approx. $212).
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