The Nokia 8110 Reloaded is HMD's latest feature phone
Many companies descend on the annual Mobile World Congress event to plug their first smartphone launches of the year. It's an established routine, but HMD Global undeniably stole the show in 2017 with, of all things, a new feature phone. Flexing its newly-acquired license to the Nokia brand, HMD put on a marketing masterclass by announcing a re-release of the iconic Nokia 3310. This year, it's attempting a similar trick, preying on '90s nostalgia with the new Nokia 8110 Reloaded.
The recognizable curved frame carries with it a number of features you won't find on turn-of-the-century phones, such as a 2.45-inch color screen (320 x 240), an awful reimagining of Snake, a 2-megapixel camera, much more capable feature-phone software, WiFi and even a 4G modem. This is primarily so you turn the thing into a retro-styled WiFi hotspot -- the 4G version of HMD's 3310 also has this functionality, but that handset's only available in China. A speedy 4G connection isn't totally useless if you don't have another device that'll benefit from a hotspot, though. Compared to the 3310, the browser on the 8110 is much better at rendering mobile websites in a readable way. Surfing on such a small screen is still a test of patience, mind you. HMD adds that several popular apps will be able to take advantage of the data connection on the 8110. (For reference, you can get basic Twitter, Facebook and Facebook Messenger clients on the 3310.) At our briefing, HMD wouldn't be any more specific, but we're thinking maybe Instagram, WhatsApp or Snapchat -- perhaps a decent navigation app. Those kind of names would make the 8110 more appealing to hipsters wanting a talking-point phone with up to 25-day battery life, as opposed to a digital detox device.
As HMD now has two re-issues in the 3310 and 8110 Reloaded, it's going to start calling these Nokia Originals. It's the company's way of saying this series of nostalgic handsets won't end with the new 8110. HMD still refuses to explicitly comment on whether the 3310 was, as most journalists suspect, a calculated marketing ploy. Representatives won't talk sales figures, only saying it was a "success." Beyond the countries where feature phones still enjoy significant market share, apparently plenty of people bought it as a back-up to store in their glove box or to take to festivals, as something new for their less tech-savvy parents or just as a fun collector's item. HMD is hoping the 8110 Reloaded will have the same broad appeal when it starts shipping in May in classic black and bright yellow (an obvious nod to its banana shape). However, at €79 (roughly $97, or £70), that puts it in the same price bracket as HMD's new entry-level Android smartphone, the Nokia 1. 'Success' comes in many forms, though, including simply getting people talking about Nokia again.
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