**Nokia 3210 Legend Reborn After 25 Years**
Despite HMD’s recent launch of its mid-range smartphone series, it doesn’t mean that the company is abandoning the nostalgia-driven business of reimagining classic Nokia-branded handsets.
Contrary to recent speculations, a new leak has fully revealed the planned reboot of one of Nokia’s most beloved phone models from 25 years ago.
The Nokia 3210 originally launched in 1999 and is widely regarded as the first “mobile phone” that most people owned. On Friday, HMD teased that it would soon be reviving a classic Nokia model — and thanks to Finnish retailer Giganti, we now know that this will be a refreshed version of the 3210.
Sporting a slightly more colorful appearance than the basic gray handset many will remember, the reborn Nokia 3210 is said to be officially announced on May 8 (with sales commencing on May 15).
The new Nokia 3210 won’t be an exact replica of its forefather. Despite similarities in button layout, it reportedly more closely resembles the early-2000s Nokia 3310.
Still, the addition of color options like light blue and yellow, along with a few more modern features, should help it avoid feeling too much like an outdated relic.
Leaked specifications suggest the handset will sport a 2.4-inch QVGA color display (a modest upgrade over the original’s 1.5-inch monochrome screen) and will add a 2MP f/2.8 rear-facing camera capable of shooting 720p video.
These additions, along with the inclusion of 4G connectivity, likely mean that the 3210’s battery life won’t be quite as epic as it was back in the day. Still, for a feature phone in this day and age, a 1,450mAh battery should keep the device going for multiple days — and crucially, a separate teaser from HMD confirmed that the phone will indeed come with Snake.
According to Giganti’s leak, the handset is expected to cost €95 (around $100) and it’s unclear in which markets around the world it will be sold.
**Why Was the Nokia 3210 So Popular?**
This isn’t the first time that HMD has revived an iconic classic Nokia phone (we recently saw the company announce a trio of throwbacks to the candybar handsets of the 2000s), but there’s something special about the Nokia 3210 for those who remember it.
This ultra-durable “brick” of a classic turned 25 on March 18, and it comes from an era when Nokia completely dominated the mobile phone market, making the 3210 the iPhone of its day. According to Wikipedia, 160 million units of the phone were sold in 1999.
By the nascent standards of mobile phones at the time, the 3210 didn’t do much beyond sending text messages, allowing you to play Snake, and lasting for weeks on a single charge.
On the other hand, it was also one of the first mainstream phones to ditch the external antenna. The design was clearly inspired by both Casio’s G-Shock watches and Sony’s Walkman players, resulting in a sleek and more pocketable look.
While the new incarnation is undeniably more colorful and feature-rich, the 3210 remains a resolutely basic and usable phone that should appeal to nostalgic and undemanding users alike.
Although HMD’s remake may not be a totally faithful tribute, it should at least provide a spiritual pick-me-up for Nokia fans, reminding them of a time before we became obsessed with endlessly scrolling content on our phones.
