Nokia 3310 comes back to life at MWC

Seventeen years after its debut, the much-awaited Nokia 3310 has been relaunched in an all new revamped look featuring a colour screen at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) here.

The device, to be sold under licence by the Finnish start-up HMD Global, is available in four distinctive colours - gloss-finished warm red and yellow, and a matte-finished dark blue and grey.

It will cost buyers only 49 Euros ($52) and will be available from the second quarter of this year.

Considered as iconic because of its popularity and sturdiness, Nokia sold more than 126 million devices before it was phased out in 2005.

"Our efforts in bringing together world class manufacturers, operating systems and technology partners sees us proudly unveiling our first global portfolio of smartphones with a Nokia soul, delivering the very best experience to everyone," Arto Nummela, CEO of HMD Global, said in a statement.

Having a 2.4-inch display, the new Nokia 3310 qualifies as a "feature phone" rather than a smartphone as it only provides limited internet facilities.

It relies on 2.5G connectivity and is powered by the S30+ operating system. With 1,200mAh battery, the device offers a 22 hours of talk time and has up to a month's standby time.

The battery of the new device is removable, like its older version. However, the 2017 model is rechargeable through a microUSB port. Its single camera is also restricted to 2MP.

According to HMD Global, which owns the rights to the Nokia brand, the device also comes with the modern version of the classic game Snake pre-installed.

The device will power through up to 51 hours of MP3 playback too, as well as up to 39 hours of FM radio playback.

"What HMD has created is remarkable. We're excited to see the launch of a new family of smartphones, built to the standards that Nokia is known for."

"We believe that their strong design and quality will appeal to Nokia fans around the world and the return of the Nokia 3310 has us smiling too!" Brad Rodrigues, interim President of Nokia Technologies, added.

HMD also confirmed the Nokia 6 Android smartphone would be released worldwide following its China debut in January.

The device has a 16MP rear camera and a 5.5-inch 1080p display. The new range of Nokia smartphones run on Android Nougat OS and offer a pure and secure experience with an all-feature Google Assistant.

The unibody of the Nokia 6 is crafted from a single block of 6000 series aluminium.

The smart audio amplifier with dual speakers allow consumers to experience a deeper bass and clarity, whilst Dolby Atmos sound delivers a powerfully moving entertainment experience.

Available in four colours - Matte Black, Silver, Tempered Blue and Copper - the Nokia 6 will retail at an average global retail price of 229 Euros ($242).

With 64GB storage and 4GB RAM, Nokia also unveiled Nokia 6 Arte Black Limited Edition available for retail price of 299 Euros ($315).

In addition, the firm showed off smaller, lower-range Nokia 5 and Nokia 3 models.

Nokia 5 has a Corning Gorilla Glass laminated 5.2-inch IPS HD display. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor and is available in four colours -- Matte Black, Silver, Tempered Blue and Copper. It is priced at 189 euros ($199).

The Nokia 3 has a Corning Gorilla Glass laminated 5-inch display and 8MP wide aperture front and back cameras.

Available in four distinctive colours -- silver white, matte black, tempered blue and copper white - the Nokia 3 will retail at an average global retail price of 139 euros ($146).

--IANS

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