Nokia 8210 4G review: A good feature phone with mix of old and new features

Priced at Rs 3,999, the Nokia 8210 4G is powered by 1,450 mAh battery and supports dual-SIM

Launched in 1999, the original Nokia 8210 was a star of its time. This feature phone, with compact and lightweight design, made large and bulky phones look outdated. 23 years later, the Nokia’s official brand licensee HMD Global has launched the phone’s rebooted version. Named the Nokia 8210 4G, this feature phone comes with just enough updates and features to make it usable today.

The Nokia 8210 4G is a small screen device with a physical keypad for navigation. However, for a feature phone, its 2.8-inch screen estate of 240 x 320 resolution looks generous. Unlike the original model, the rebooted model has a colour screen.

Powered by the Unisoc T107 processor, the phone works well for the limited tasks it can handle. It has a 48MB RAM and 128 MB internal storage, out of which only 30MB is available. It supports a microSD card for storage expansion-up to 32GB.

The Nokia 8210 4G comes pre-installed with about 15 apps, including social media app Facebook, Opera internet browser, Snake game, and more. Though internet enabled, the phone does not have a dedicated store for apps download. Moreover, the internet experience even on 4G is abysmal. The phone should not be judged on its internet connectivity though. The 4G network makes it one of the few option in feature phones segment to support Reliance Jio, besides network from other Indian telecom operators.

The Nokia 8210 4G has a 0.3-megapixel camera on the back, without flash. Though basic, the camera supports digital zoom, camera effects, photo timer, and more. Photos taken by the phone’s camera can be cropped, edited, and set as the phone's wallpaper. They can also be shared via messages and Bluetooth.

The Nokia 8210 4G is powered by a removable 1,450 mAh battery, supported by a microUSB 2.0-based port for charging. The phone easily lasts for about three days on regular usage. It boasts power saving mode, which turns on automatically when the battery level reaches 15 per cent. In the power saving mode, the battery lasts for another day of use.

The Nokia 8210 4G may seem old school to some, but it is a coming of age feature phone. It boasts 3.5mm audio jack, built-in MP3 player, and an FM radio. Besides, there is a slot for dual nano-SIMs with 4G support.

The Nokia 8210 4G is a good feature phone, but not without caveats. It does not show the total number of contacts in the phone or SIM. Besides, there is no option to select contacts. The messages inbox is a mess; it shows multiple windows for conversations with the same number.

Verdict

At Rs 3,999, the Nokia 8210 4G is a feature phone with old and new features. It may seem a bit pricey, yet reigns supreme due to lack of options in the feature phones segment. That said, the Nokia 8210 4G makes a good choice if you are in the market looking to buy a 4G feature phone that is not a JioPhone.