Sheer nostalgia greets the new Nokia 3310

Remember when all you could do with a phone was make calls and stamp out a text message? And maybe play a minuscule Java game? It’s interesting to know that there’s a whole generation of young people who have never been through the Nokia era at all, but there are many who feel deeply nostalgic for a time when phones were not smart, notifications did not chase you through the day and no one expected you to answer email no matter when and where. Life seemed simpler. But ironically, life always seems simpler in the past.

Be that as it may, Nokia decided the best way to make a comeback was to invoke that nostalgia and feed it with the 3310, one of its icons from long ago.

Showcased at the Mobile World Congress this year, the modern version of the 3310 was the absolute darling of the show.

And now, here it is in India, available from regular offline gadget stores for — you guessed it — ₹3,310. This device wouldn’t have cost so much back in the time of the real 3310, but well, that was then and this is now.

Seventeen years ago, the original Nokia 3310 could be thrown from the second floor and would invariably be found unharmed a moment later. The 3310 2017 isn’t as solidly built, made of lighter plastic and much lighter, but I did hurl it right across the room with no complaints from it as such.

When I went to retrieve it, it still had a smile — the curve panel that holds the buttons under the screen does look like a smile.

The 3310 fits snugly into your hand like it belongs there. It’s so very nice to hold that it immediately makes you realise what solid heavy rectangular slabs our smartphones have become today.

Your hand and fingers have no need to stretch anywhere because of course there isn’t that much to be done on this little device.

But as you fit your micro-SIM in and start to use the 3310, you also realise how you’re no longer used to pushing buttons.

Too much texting and you actually get a bit of a hand cramp. Navigating the phone is also such a throwback to long ago that it takes a little getting used to.

Every now and then, you end up touching the screen because you expect it to react — which it won’t because although it’s bigger and in colour now, it isn’t a touch screen.

On the other hand, because of its size, it’s a very grab-ready little thing and you can just slip it into a pocket or bag and pull it out without fear that it will break if it falls. Despite the plastic, it’s quite sturdy.

The back panel can be prised open to put in the 1,000mAh battery and the two SIMs and memory card. And you’ll need a card if you're going to download any apps or games. The 3310 gets its internet connectivity (at 2G) from the SIM. It has no WiFi.

Besides the addictive Snake game right up front on the menu, you have a few others you can get.

Onboard already are things like clock, alarms, calendar, calculator, note taker, even a voice recorder.

There’s an app store, a documents folder, a music player (should you actually want to hear music on this little thing) and an FM radio. Now, I am not a fan of FM but I decided to put the earphones in for a listen (you can’t hear it otherwise) and found a channel.

It sounded terrible and barely audible and I exited in a hurry.

Rather ambitiously, the little 3310 also has a 2MP camera, complete with filters, a scene or two, flash and even video recording.

Obviously that’s to be put into use in the rare situations when you need to snap something quick with whatever device happens to be in your hand at the time.

The chief function of the 3310 really remains calling. Nokia promises 22 hours of talk time and a whole month of standby. It is of course just wonderful to pick up the phone that’s been left on all night to find no dip in the battery level at all. It’s also great to have battery time measured in days rather than hours. The charger is a light version of the regular micro-USB we are used to. It’s obviously so much easier to hold this small device up to your ear for nice long calls.

Call quality was not bad — perhaps better for the receiver on some other phone than on the 3310. You have context sensitive functions on what to do with your call such as go on loudspeaker, hold, or even record a call. Be warned that the beloved Nokia ringtone can be quite nice and loud.

The Nokia 3310 is really for those who feel nostalgic about what may have been their first phone. It’s like a collector’s item; a shadow of its former self rather than a relaunch of the original.

It’s nice as a second phone, just for calls, but if you’re looking for utility rather than sentimentality, there are other options, even from Nokia.

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