Nokia 3310 And Snake (2017): Hands-On Review
Nokia 3310 And Snake (2017): HandsThe Nokia 3310 has long been considered one of the world's greatest phones, and much to the delight of old-school mobile users, the device made a comeback at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona this week.
Expected to carry a €50 (£42, $52) price tag when it hits stores later this year, the new and improved handset now sports a color screen rather than the monochrome display of old. Despite that, however, it still has the looks to please those that prefer the simple life and is reminiscent of a time without disappearing selfie videos, emojis and augmented reality filters.
I got to play around with the nostalgic Nokia phone at the show. Here are my first impressions.
Design
The funny thing about the 2017 version of the Nokia 3310 is that you find yourself liking the things that you'd usually hate in more modern smartphone offerings. I mean, it wouldn't feel like the 3310 if it wasn't made of a nice and cheap-feeling plastic, so I was oddly pleased with how bargain-basement the build quality is.
In this instance, you kind of want the 3310's design to feel cheap and cheerful, mainly to ensure it distances itself as far away as possible from the modern flagship handsets of today. And that it does. It's cumbersome, tawdry and every button press reminds you just how cheap the phone really is.
The 3310 also comes in some seriously bright neon colours, which make the whole user experience even more tacky, but fun, too. All-in-all, it feels great in the hand. Light, smart and simple.
Display
Nokia new 3310 phone builds on the original 1.5-inch monochrome display with a 2.4-inch 240 x 320-pixel screen, which is quite an upgrade.
As you'd expect, it's not on par with modern standards but that's the beauty of it. This phone is all about getting as far away from the polished 1080-pixel screens that we've come to take for granted. And it still does the job. It's bright, clean, and as pixelated as any early-2000 phone was, and it's this that makes you want one.
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