The Second Coming: First images emerge of the revamped Nokia 3310

Emma Sims February 14, 2017

That midnight blue. That girth. That mystifying and unyielding resilience. The Nokia 3310’s immeasurable popularity was certainly not unfounded. The handset had a reputation as one of the most reliable phones around, spawning with it a generation of internet memes, and much to the delight of its fans, it’s back – at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress 2017, according to leaker Evan Blass. Now, thanks to Chinese site Vtech, brand new information has leaked about the cult classic’s revamp.

The Second Coming: First images emerge of the revamped Nokia 3310

The renovated Nokia 3310 will be sold for a modest $59 (£47), leading us to believe that it will be marketed as a trusty backup or ‘second’ phone. Phones made under the brand are sold under the remit of Finnish HMD Global, and it is believed that the company will launch the Nokia 3, 5 and 5 in addition to the resurrection of everybody’s old favourite.

Vtech reports that the new Nokia 3310 handset will not only be available in a range of colours (yellow, red and green amongst them) but that it will feature a colour screen – a significant departure from the original’s trusty black and white display. Don’t expect to be dazzled, however, as – true to form – the manufacturers want to preserve the phone’s lengthy battery life.

nokia_3310_return_0

Purists out there, meanwhile, shouldn’t despair; the original 3310 is available to buy on Amazon via resellers. It features age-old classics Snake and Snake II, in addition to the capacity to store up to ten reminders. And fine, we can snigger, but its battery life really does put modern smartphones to shame, lasting up to a staggering 260 hours.

One much-appreciated reviewer testified to the phone’s resilience: ‘I remember back in 2003 I was trekking through wartorn Baghdad when a stray 50 calibre sniper bullet hit me directly in the chest. Luckily I had my Nokia 3310 in my breast pocket, which deflected the bullet and blew up a tank.’

The reviewer goes on to cite an array of scenarios in which his trusty 3310 withstood adverse conditions, which included a 2010 Haitian holiday and a 2011 visit to Fukushima, in addition to a Parisian encounter with a meteor which ‘completely disintegrated upon contact with my trusty 3310, earning me the Légion d’Honneur.’ It’s a pretty buoyant phone, ok?

Images: Vtech via The Independent; Kevin Steinhardt, used under Creative Commons