Nokia is apparently giving some old tricks another go this 2017, as it gears up for its comeback in the cell phone industry. A new design team has been introduced that will take the devices - the Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual - to the next level without losing what the company has built its name on. This year saw this same strategy work and succeed, so it might be the same for the once-mighty tech player.
When cell phones first became a necessity, Nokia was one of the best and most popular brands to have. The company produced durable, straightforward and reliable handhelds, which Their iconic devices - such as the 3310 - are still recognizable. Unfortunately, the company's reign eventually came to a stop.
With the introduction of smartphones, older players in the market suddenly found it hard to keep up - Nokia included. The company did try, with Windows 10, to keep up with the younger competition, but nothing seemed to turn the tide back to its direction. Through it all, however, the company's older units were never forgotten.
The cell phones from Nokia are beloved until now, with a nostalgic generation creating memes of the popular devices and online rants stating how the older and simpler games were being missed. And while a handheld with keypads and a black and white screen might never make a miracle comeback, the veteran phone manufacturer is using some old tricks.
According to The Sun, Nokia will introduce the Android operating system to its phones. Furthermore, the upcoming units will target the same nostalgia-hit audience as mentioned earlier. Reportedly, the devices will be as durable and as stable as they used to be.
The Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual are handhelds that were "built to last." And unlike the offerings currently in the marker, it is actually believed that the devices will offer 22 hours of talk time and 31 days of standby time, as the company promises. The publication goes on to confirm that the two units will have Snake and Retro Racing - two of the most beloved retro phone games.
The Nokia 150 and the Nokia 150 Dual are reportedly going to be released to the market in the early months of 2017. However, NDTV Gadgets reports that three other units will be released next year as well. The publication had details on one of these items, the Nokia E1, which is apparently going to be the company's mid-range phone.
The Nokia E1 will come out of the box with Android 7.0 Nougat, will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series processor and will have a 5.2-inch screen. The handheld will run on as much as 4GB of RAM and at least 64GB of internal memory. The higher-end model will have a fingerprint scanner added to the device.
Retro devices - with modern upgrades - certainly made waves this year, with the NES Classic Edition one major example. The device, which is a remake of the 1985 Nintendo Entertainment System, was sold out in various retailers and were being sold on eBay for more than triple the retail price. Perhaps Nokia's future handhelds will make the same comeback.