Mobile World Congress 2017 saw HMD Global revive the Nokia 3310 feature phone and then struggle to keep up with the demand.
The surprise hit of the year, the cheap and cheerful £50 ’burner’ phone wasn’t packed with smartphones features, high-end cameras, huge screens, or 3D gaming potential.
It made calls, it picked up texts, and it had basic email and web facilities.
And it was loved.
It was used variously as a first phone for the younger generation; a second phone to slip into a small bag for a night out; or a ‘festival phone’ that could be taken to the likes of Glastonbury, last the whole weekend on a single charge, and get caked in mud and thrown around without worrying about what’s happening to an expensive iPhone or Android smartphone.
So like any good business, HMD Global is trying to catch another nostalgia-fuelled social media wave towards handset sales in Barcelona this week as it launches the Nokia 8110.
Let’s be honest here, the Nokia 8110 means one of two things. If you are into your trenchcoats, leather trousers, and anime-influenced story lines then the Nokia 8110 was the original ‘Matrix phone’.
It’s cool, hip, trendy, and, so long as you are over 35, it’s the future.
For everyone else, it’s one of the first viral songs that refused to leave the internet. Yes, the bananaphone is back.
Compared to the huge slabs of glass, the curved candy bar shape of the Nokia 8110 is comfortable in the hand and makes for an enjoyable experience when you take a phone call.
Just like the Nokia 3310, this 8110 is not a smartphone, although it has a number of features that make this a good secondary handset to use.
As opposed to Android or iOS, the 8110 runs KaiOS, which is built around HTML5 and is optimised for smaller and less powerful phones.
It echoes the feel of the 90s phone and, while it’s not as fast or sharp as your Samsung Galaxy, it gets the job done.
Bundled in the phone is an email client, a web browser, as well as the expected address book, basic camera, clocks and alarms.
And yes, there’s a variant of Snake as well. This is a Nokia mobile after all.
While these are all simply put together to run on the small colour screen, again I come back to the idea of a functional phone.
Nothing flashy, just straight to the point on what needs done.
Of course the slider is the key feature and, just like the original version, the biggest feature from The Matrix is not present – the slider is not spring-loaded so you’ll have to manually slide it – but you have a satisfying guillotine movement to hang up on your calls.
I’ve not been able to measure how accurate the rated 25 days of standby time and seven hours of talk time are, but the first signs are that it’s in that ballpark.
My experience with similar numbers on the 3310 give me confidence that I can say ‘it’s going to stay alive a long time’.
The 8110 has some features that increase its use as an alternative handset.
First up is the Dual SIM option. Practically that means the 8110 can have its own phone number (and own data plan), but it’s a simple matter to switch out your SIM from your main smartphone and pop it in the second SIM slot so you can still pick up and make calls from your main number.
There’s also space for a microSD card for more storage. Pop your MP3 collection in here and you’ve got your music collection on the handset.
And the Nokia 8110 has another throwback feature you’ll love. A headphone jack.
You can also use the Nokia 8110 as a 4G hotspot, and this is where things get interesting.
Last year’s 3310 launched with 2G data, although 3G and 4G versions were launched throughout the year.
The 8110 ships with 4G LTE out of the box, so getting your laptop or tablet online is a simple matter of switching on the hotspot and connecting to the handset over Wi-Fi.
Instant connectivity no matter where you are is the secret Matrix power of the 8110.
Last year the Nokia 3310 caught the industry by surprise.
This year the Nokia 8110 is ‘the difficult second album’ looking to see if the world needs a feature phone that offers more connectivity for the connected traveller with a little bit of retro styling.
I think the answer is yes.
The Nokia 8110’s cost in the UK is yet to be announced, but is expected to have a global average retail price of €79 (£70).
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