Back when the iPhone was still a glint in Steve Jobs’ eye, one mobile company ruled the roost. At the turn of the millennium, everyone was busy playing Snake on their Nokias.
Fast forward a quarter-century, and some of us are still pining for the simple thrills offered by the Finnish company’s blocky phones. Forget time-sucking social media, Nokia’s mini blowers didn’t even have internet. Instead of the constant ding of our modern notification machines, there was the delightful crescendo of text message beeps. Auto-predict was unheard of, so we painstakingly typed out missives and smileys on physical keyboards while squinting at tiny screens.
It was a carefree life devoid of cases and screen protectors because the phones in our pockets were durable little slabs. In their place, people swapped out their mobile covers to match their personality (a bright yellow Simpsons-themed phone sprinkled with pink donuts? You bet!)
Now, Nokia wants to take us back to this tech utopia with the return of its most ubiquitous device, the 3210. For many older millennials and Gen Xers, the dinky mobile was their first-ever phone. As such, it’s banking on the type of nostalgia kick that makes us do silly things, like downloading dodgy emulators to play Pokémon Red and Blue on our iPhones or scrambling to buy classic edition Nintendo consoles.
To mark its silver jubilee, Nokia is releasing an updated version of the 3210 with enough original hallmarks to please old-school fans. There’s a 2-megapixel camera for grainy group pics; a 1,450 mAh battery, which sounds tiny, but can probably keep the low-power dumb phone running for days; and, above all else, that Y2K-style design. The phone is all curves and rounded corners, with physical buttons that look like eyelets. In case you’re wondering, Snake is back, too.
“The original Nokia 3210 has a special place in many consumers’ hearts as one of the best-selling mobile phones of all time,” said Ben Wood, founder of the Mobile Phone Museum. “It’s the perfect product to reimage for the modern era given its strong heritage and iconic design.”
If you believe Nokia brand owner HMD, dumb phones are currently witnessing a resurgence as young and old seek ways to limit their screen time. Let’s face it, you probably still need a smartphone to order Ubers and keep up with your work emails. But, if you’re keen to unplug without going completely off the grid, the 3210 could be the answer. It even has 4G to ensure your calls don’t cut out.
At £75, it’s a bit pricier than Nokia’s other retro reboots, but still affordable enough to make for a great stocking filler or gift for teens and grandparents. Just don’t be surprised if the tykes get bored of Snake and run back into the arms of Fortnite. Admittedly, you may even forsake it for your iPhone 15 when the rose-tinted sentiment passes.
