The legendary Nokia 3310 of the 2000’s era was easily one of the bestselling feature-phone of the decade. After continuous public support through memes and what not for the revival of the Nokia’s classic phone, it was released earlier this year in May as a retro throwback, but with a slight setback for many, and good news for some, that the set didn’t support 3g network functionality.
The 3310 was known to withstand much pressure, and could easily be used ruggedly or ‘without care’ and it would still last for ages. Building on the public image, the Nokia 3310 of 2017 was loved by many who wanted it merely for a collection or to remind them of the great non-smartphone era.
But, what about for those, like the teenagers of these days, who actually want to use this retro-er 3310 but can’t seem to understand why it didn’t add a basic 3g service in an era where 5g is going to be launched soon.
The people at Nokia took some time to understand this outcry and thus now have released a 3g supported version of the 3310 which works not only in many countries now, but also in the US, but for limited networks. If you are an AT&T or a T-Mobile customer, then, you need not worry, since Nokia 3310 of 2017 supports these networks.
But, unfortunately, if are you the one on Verizon or Sprint, then the sad news is Nokia 3310 isn’t available for your networks.
Furthermore, the added 3g functionality Nokia 3310 would be up for grabs for around $81 USD, which is a surprisingly considerable bump from the original May version of Nokia 3310 which sold for around $58 USD.
Moreover, this updated model has added further dimensions to its width, thickness, and height, which might make it feel more like the good old 2000’s 3310. But for those, who relied heavily on this phone for its long-lasting battery, there is a huge setback.
The estimated battery life has dropped from 22 hours of talk time using the 2g version to just 6.5 hours on the newly updated 3g supported Nokia 3310!
The reason behind this drastic fall is apparent; the 3310 getting the 3g update. While the battery size of the phone is exactly the same for both the 2017 versions, the induction of 3g radios makes the phone consume more power than the standard 2g ones.
This might seem like a major setback for some, but in reality, for those who simply wanted this phone as a retro throwback but with added capabilities, it might just be a better deal; because simply put, that’s why the phone was updated to in the first place.
Apart from this cell radios switchover, the updated Nokia 3310 also is supposed to be running on a new operating system, thought might not notice it because the phone looks pretty much the same as of May in the promo images.
Accordingly to Juho Sarvikas who is the HMD Global’s chief product officer, the newer operating system has “some cool new features” but that anyone who’s tried the original version should “feel right at home.” As of now, it’s not apparent that what are these new features he is talking about, but surely the 3g update directed towards them.
There are a variety of colors to choose from; red, black, yellow or black whichever suits you. This feature phone, being a major throwback to the 2000’s is a must have and you can grab one sometime in the middle of November. The best thing is you would still be able to play Snake on your 3310, if not anything else!