Finnish manufacturer HMD – the new home of Nokia phones – has announced that the iconic 3310 will be rebooted alongside two other devices later this month.
First launched in 2000 the device, which became one of the most popular cellphones in South Africa and one of the most successful in the world, is set to make a comeback.
The 3310 was the epitome of the cellphone in the early 2000s, ushering in the era of colour-screen smartphones with Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).
The device was a basic cellphone that was able to send and receive SMSs and make and receive calls.
It featured mobile games such as the much-loved Snake and Space Impact.
After HMD acquired Nokia, the focus of the company had shifted to producing ‘dumb phones’ with no internet access, while the company relied on love for the brand to spark the nostalgia of its customers – making it no surprise that Nokia’s most popular cellphone would be re-released.
The company is set to launch the 3310 alongside two new Android powered smartphones – the Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 – at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona after it recently launched the Nokia 6.
The Nokia 6 was released in China at a price of only R3 377, featuring a 5.5 inch display with full HD resolution and 2.5D Gorilla Glass for protection.
HMD recently announced the release of the Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM, which are expected to come at a cost of around $26 (R355), with a familiar Symbian interface reminiscent of the Nokia devices of the 00s.
The cheap device features a 2.4 inch screen with a built in FM radio, MP3 player and games.
The display has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels and “65K colours”.
Fortunately, the device does have one three megapixel camera with LED flash and Bluetooth, in an age where smartphones feature 2 or 3 cameras with dual tone flash and Near Field Communication for sharing.