Nokia 3310 3G: 5 reasons why this dumb phone clicks in a Smart Nation

SINGAPORE: Ah, that throwback to yesteryear. That sturdy, ever reliable companion. The go-to device for late-night calls while stuck in an army camp, with no worries that the battery will run out mid call.

Yes, I’m talking about Nokia’s classic creation: The Nokia 3310.   

While the original phonemaker has since fallen off the radar in today’s smartphone scene, the Nokia brand lives on through Finnish start-up HMD Global which is the exclusive licensee for all things Nokia.

But in this day and age, where even the most average phones offer 4G connectivity, Web browsing and cameras of at least 8 megapixels (MP), would people fork out the cash – all S$99 – for this utilitarian workhorse?

We look at some features that plays to the strengths of this reimagined dumb phone, which is returning to Singapore from Oct 14. 

PHONE THAT KEEPS ON GOING

The maker of the 3310 is touting up to six hours of talk time and up to 27 days of standby time for the single-SIM model, which is the one being made available in Singapore.

This lifespan is delivered by a removable battery of 1,200 mAH, so if you had spare batteries on hand, the phone can go for even longer. Compare that with existing top-range smartphones, which last for a day at best making a powerbank a necessary companion device, and it’s clear the 3310 is the Duracell bunny of mobile phones.

So if you’re currently serving your National Service, yet keen to retain a social life beyond the confines of one’s army camp, this could be the device for you.

TACTILE TEXTS

For those of us who still yearn for a physical keypad to fire off text messages, the Nokia 3310 fills a gap that not even BlackBerry is keen to satisfy (Chinese manufacturer TCL, which owns the branding rights to most global markets, has ditched the keyboard with its latest all-screen smartphone Motion).

HMD, though, is keen to remind people that type pads are the way to go, highlighting the phone’s “beautiful push buttons” and the fact that it has allowed for more spacing between the buttons.

Remember when telcos were organising SMS Shootout contests to crown the fastest fingers in town? Well, this phone could potentially bring about a revival of such competitions.

CAMERA FOR CASUAL CAPTURES

Let’s be clear, the camera on Nokia’s 3310 device is nothing to crow about. It is a basic 2MP camera with LED flash, and the manufacturer also acknowledged this when it marketed it for “simple snaps” on its website.

The phone did not have a camera when it was first launched in 2000, but its addition is a necessary compromise in this day and age when the goings-on of one’s day are captured in photos for sharing online.

PARENTS, REJOICE?

Yes parents, you can probably heave a sigh of relief now.

With 3G connectivity, and Facebook and Twitter apps as optional downloads, users can get only limited access to the World Wide Web and all the undesirables that it brings. This should mean that your child will be less likely to get addicted to online games (since many of these will likely be unsupported) and busting of data caps.

SNAKE

In colour display. Need I say more?