Nokia’s 2017 starts with the 3310 and three forgettable Android smartphones

Perhaps one of the most anticipated events at the Mobile World Congress 2017 is Nokia’s. Yes, Nokia, the company that once ruled the mobile phone market. Well, they’re back and they brought with them a whole bunch of nostalgia.

Kicking the press event off, Nokia briefly lamented about their time at the top of the mobile phone world. They also talked about how they’ve been working hard on the human aspect of technology with devices like the Ozo VR camera, a smart weighing scale and a smartwatch. But that was all to butter us up. What most were there for were the phones, so let’s start with the one you’ve all been waiting for.

Nokia 3310

Yep, this is the throwback device. It’s Nokia’s reimagination of what is probably the most meme’d phone in the history of phone memes. And you will soon be able to buy one. But first, let’s take a look a the specs.

For starters, you get a 2.4-inch QVGA display that’s full colour. The handset will run on Nokia’s Series 30+ software and will feature awesome features like calls, texts and 3×3 grid menus. There’s also a physical keypad. And a D-pad. And a headphone jack. And a plastic body with removable back. It’s got a processor, though the product guy was very honest in telling me that he didn’t know what it was. It also only supports 2G connectivity for calls and text.

Oh, who am I kidding? Who cares about the specs for the 3310. It’s the 3310 and it comes with Snake! Plus, it’s got a 1-month standby time and 22-hour long talktime battery life. You’ve probably already decided if you want one or not. It will retail for EUR49 (around RM229) and will be available in 4 colours and will go on sale in Q2 of 2017.

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Nokia 6

Then we’ve got Nokia’s range topper Android device — the Nokia 6. It’s not a new phone because it’s already on sale in China. However, now that it’s officially a global phone, Nokia did announce a special edition Nokia 6 R which comes in a new glossy black colour plus 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

If you haven’t been keeping up with the Nokia 6, here’s a recap of the specs: Nokia 6 has a Snapdragon 430 processor at its core, mated to 3GB of RAM and 32GB (expandable via microSD) of internal storage (standard global variant). For photos, it gets a 16-megapixel snapper at the back with an 8MP selfie shooter in front with AF.

The display is a Full HD one measuring 5.5 inches and layered with 2.5D glass on top. It’s got dual speakers enhanced with Dolby Atmos and will be running Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. Nokia is also very proud of the fact that each phone takes an hour to craft out of a single block of 6,000 series aluminium.

Nokia 6 will be priced at EUR229 (around RM1,073) while the 6 R will retail for EUR299 (RM1,402). It will be available in Q2 of 2017.

Nokia 5

Moving down the series, you get a smaller Nokia Android device. The Nokia 5 is broadly similar to the 6 except that it gets a watered down 720p display and just 2GB of RAM plus 16GB of internal storage. Its processor remains the same Snapdragon 430 unit. It should appeal to those who like the 6 but want a smaller screen, however, as this comes with a 5.2-inch panel instead.

Much like the Nokia 6, it is also made of 6,000 series aluminium. The only difference is that it’s rounder around the edges.  Its camera also gets bumped down to a 13MP unit at the back with an 8MP shooter in front.

The Nokia 5 will be priced at EUR189 (around RM886) and will be available in Q2 of 2017.

Nokia 3

This is the final step down Nokia takes in its lineup. As a result, you get a 5-inch 720p display, a MediaTek 6737 processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Its primary camera gets bumped even further down to an 8MP snapper while the selfie camera remains.

One nice thing that Nokia also kept was the aluminium build from the other devices. However, they had to save costs somewhere, so the Nokia 3 gets a plastic back. That said, the metal frame does lend a solid feel to the handset.

Nokia 3 will retail for EUR139 (around RM652) and will also be available Q2 of 2017.

The Finnish company is banking hard on providing a pure and clean Android software experience paired with excellent build. But is that enough to get people to buy them? Well, it better be if Nokia wants to stand a chance at coming back in this market.

Photos shot on Sony RX100 V.