The risk with reinventing an old classic is that generations of users remember how it was once like and just how much that item built an era. The Nokia 3310 has, in particular, been praised endlessly for its design, features and virtual indestructibility. And with the recent revival of the unit, the company ran the risk of falling short to an almost untainted handheld.
There has been a very strong trend with classic tech devices, which has been arguably led by the release of the NES Classic Edition. The gaming console was praised for its simplicity and a rightful throwback to one of the industry's most iconic platforms. Nokia was slated to be the next company to join the trend, but the new 3310 is not exactly what was expected.
As BGR reported, Nokia's new Finnish owner, HMD Global, confirmed the existence of a new 3310 device on Sunday. It was revealed during the Mobile World Congress, which is still ongoing, but upon the first look of the unit, it is just not the feature phone that was expected. The company even claimed that it is just a phone that falls short of any standards, whether previous or existing.
The announcement of the 3310 was saved for the last of an otherwise exciting press conference. The handheld has a cleaner design, a bigger display and more colors, including dark blue, gray, warm red and yellow. It also boasts a better battery life and has old classics featured like "Snake II." But as the publication argued, there just might not be no turning back for those that have already made a home with their smartphones.
According to CNBC, the new Nokia 3310 has a lot of the original's features and, more importantly, it is as robust and sturdy as users will remember it. It has 22 hours of talk time, lasts a month on standby mode. "We were interacting with consumers and asked, ‘What was the best ever Nokia device that you have ever had?' And out of that questionnaire, it was the 3310," HMD Global CEO Arto Nummela told the publication. "And then we though, ‘Okay, what the heck? Let's have some fun and create this. Because this is an amazing way from a communication point of view to say now there is a new chapter of Nokia."
Meanwhile, Ian Fogg, head of mobile at IHS Markit, admitted that Nokia is in the tough position of balancing between the past and the present. It needs to appeal to those fond memories that people have of the older handsets, but it also needs to move forward in the industry. He acknowledged that the re-release of the 3310 is a risky move.
Whether or not the move will eventually payoff is uncertain at this point. It is unlikely that individuals who grew up with smartphones will leave behind all modern benefits for a nostalgic device like the Nokia 3310. However, the device will launch in the market for just US$53 in the second quarter of the year, so it might just be considered a novel device to have. But whether or not the unit will be as popular as the original, it likely will not.
