The original Nokia 3310 wasn’t a looker, but it was a workhorse, and that’s what made it so endearing

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on 24 February, 2017. It has been republished for its relevance to the Nokia 3310 launch on 18 May, 2017

Nokia phones have been an integral part of my life since my college days. My first phone wasn’t a Nokia, it was a battered old brick of a device with an extensible antenna, and I used it, but only because I really had no choice. The first phone I fell in love with, however, was the Nokia 3310.

The phone was launched in the year 2000, but I got the device many years after that. It was a hand-me-down from a relative, but unlike most hand-me-downs, it was in fairly good condition.

I wouldn’t say it was love at first sight. The phone looked bulky and I definitely didn’t like the design. The buttons were all ovoid, the navigation keys angled and the blue and white two-tone finish was definitely not to my liking. What can I say, I was a very finicky teenager.

Anyway, it was a phone that worked, I needed one, I couldn’t afford to buy my own device, so I was stuck with it. As it turns out, I’m glad I was.

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Even if I didn’t love the phone’s design, I grew to love its dependability, it’s ruggedness. The screen seemed ideal at the time and the phone felt perfect in my hands. I could toss the phone on my bed, drop it a dozen times a day, send it whizzing across the room to my friend and so much more. I shudder to think of doing that with any of today’s delicate, glass slabs.

When was the last time you tossed a phone to your friend from the third floor of a building? Only the Nokia 3310 could afford me that luxury.

I remember the phone having three games: Space Impact, Snake and Bantumi. I know people get nostalgic about Snake, but the 3310’s Snake wasn’t my favourite game – that honour goes to the Nokia 1100. I liked it, and I played it on occasion, but the game for me was Space Impact. I remember spending every waking minute in that game when I first got the phone. Bantumi is a game I barely remember, most likely because I never learned to play it.

The one thing that sticks with me is that the phone was a workhorse, and that’s what made it so endearing. It was always there, would alway work and it always had some juice left. It wasn’t a phone I ever had to worry about.

I don’t think I can say the same of any phone in the market today, or since. The only phone, in my experience, to top the 3310 was the Nokia 1100, though even that device wasn’t as well-built as the 3310 to be sure.

Nokia, HMD Global really, is preparing to launch a brand new Nokia 3310 at MWC next week. I’m excited of course. I just hope that HMD Global can bring back the charm of the original and introduce the joys of Snake and Space Impact to a new generation of humanity.

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