Nokia 3310 Launched in India: 5 Reasons Why You Should - or Shouldn't - Buy the Phone

Nokia 3310, the prodigal son of the Finnish company, is back in a modern avatar with a price tag of Rs. 3,310. The classic Nokia handset was beloved for a number of things as the long battery life, the durability, the rudimentary-yet-addictive Snake game, and customisable ringtones. Nokia 3310 (2017) brings back of many of these, but adds a few new features to the mix, such as 2G Internet, a camera, and modern colours. But will these features be enough to make the new Nokia 3310 a success or will it have just the nostalgia factor to rely on when it comes to sales. We take a look at pros and cons of buying the new Nokia 3310 to help you make the final decision.

Why you should buy the new Nokia 3310

The new Nokia 3310 was the biggest attraction at the company's MWC 2017 launch, and received more attention than the new Nokia Android phones announced at the same time. This in itself reveals how popular the original feature phone - a phone that can just make calls and send texts - was in the 2000s. Here are some reasons why you would want to buy the Nokia 3310.

What's in a Name? As It Turns Out, Everything

1. Nostalgia
The Nokia 3310 (2017) maintains the design cues of its previous incarnation, including the rounded corners and curved screen window, which Nokia has claimed will make for better "readability in sunlight." The reboot also comes with new push buttons. Apart from newer modifications and changes, the new Nokia 3310 no doubt brings a wave of nostalgia for the fans of the brand. If you are among those who loved feature phones from Nokia then this one is for you.

2. Battery life
When compared to today's smartphones, the new Nokia 3310 stands nowhere but then you can buy it as a second phone with excellent battery life. It boasts of a battery standby of up to a month, which is impossible to match for any smartphone available in the market today. As with the original, massive battery life is one of the biggest highlights of the new Nokia 3310. It packs a removable 1200mAh battery that it claims offers 22 hour of talk-time. Also, it features one useful modern touch - it doesn't use the pin charger, and instead works with a standard Micro-USB port, found on most Android smartphones.

3. Snake
More than the wait for the Nokia 3310 reboot, there were some fans who were waiting for the legendary Snake game's return. It has made a comeback on the feature phone with a few updates along the way, and has also been optimised for the colour screen.

4. Toughness
In 2000s, the original Nokia 3310 had been tagged as a near-indestructible phone durable enough to survive countless drops. The new phone is expected to be similar in terms of durability and reliability. And even if the new Nokia 3310 does break for some reason or you lose it, it won't cost you a bomb.

5. Available offline
Unlike every other brand today, HMD Global has decided to go the offline route, at least for the Nokia 3310 reboot. That's a plus as you won't have to waste your time on the Internet on ordering and then waiting for the phone to ship. A visit to a nearest Nokia dealer will end your quest for the Nokia 3310. This will also mean that you will get hands-on time with the device before you decided to actually spend your money on it.

Nokia 3310's Iconic Snake Game Now Available on Facebook Messenger

Why you shouldn't buy the new Nokia 3310

The new Nokia 3310 may bring a lot of memories of your younger-self but then the times have changed. These reasons might dissuade you from putting your money down for the Nokia 3310.

1. Price
At a price of Rs. 3,310, you can buy a smartphone that supports more features than the Nokia 3310. Considering the entire package, the Nokia 3310 definitely feels slightly overpriced for the Indian market, where similar feature phones sell for under Rs. 1,000.

2. No fast Internet or Jio support
The phone supports only 2G connectivity which means that there's no fast Internet support: there's no 3G, or 4G, or Wi-Fi. This also means it won't work on the Reliance Jio network that offers unlimited calls to its subscribers, which is a real shame.

3. No apps
Apart from that, the new Nokia 3310 will also have no support for popular apps. The phone comes pre-installed with select apps but there's no WhatsApp, no Facebook, and no Twitter. Considering that WhatsApp has replaced texts for many of us, it's going to take some adjustment.

4. Forget cameras
With advent of smartphones, the selfie camera is a major feature to flaunt in the Indian market. With no front-camera, the Nokia 3310 missed out on a big feature. On the camera front, the new Nokia 3310 only sports a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash, so your photos will leave something to be desired.

5. Low-res display
A 2-megapixel camera isn't a big problem considering that you don't have a display to enjoy your photos on anyway. The Nokia 3310 features a 2.4-inch QVGA (240x320 pixels) colour display, compared to the 48x84 pixel resolution of the original. That's a huge step up, but is still won't be too handy for any media consumption, of either pictures or videos.