After re-launching the classic bar phone 3310 earlier this year, Finnish manufacturer HMD Global, the owners of the Nokia brand, are set to release a new model of the phone in October and this time the phone has the capability to connect to 3G networks.
When it was released last year, the 3310 was only made available to certain regions because of limitations on cellular frequencies. Now, the 3G support will make the beloved model available to more countries.
"Our reimagining of the Nokia 3310 has been a global and cultural phenomenon," Juho Sarvikas, HMD Global's chief product officer, said in a report from Neowin. "In a world dominated by smartphones, the mix of nostalgia and a beautiful phone that just keeps going has captured people's imagination. Our fans around the world have been asking for this iconic phone to support 3G. Fans asked, we listened, and today welcome the Nokia 3310 3G."
The Nokia 3310 3G will also be available in new colors, azure and charcoal, along with the yellow and warm red already available. Additionally, it will have a new cool user interface that allows consumers to pick their own themes.
Physically, the 3310 3G is wider, thicker, and taller compared to the classic's re-release. It will retail for about $81, which is more expensive than the non-3G model that sold at about $58.
Perhaps the biggest change that is coming with the 3310 3G is, unfortunately, much less battery life. From the 2G version's 22 hours of talk time, the 3G version will only have six and a half hours. It is highly possible that the switch to 3G radio, which requires more power, caused the steep drop in battery performance.
While this is a big letdown, it should not matter that much. Like its 2G version, most consumers will be purchasing the 3310 3G out of nostalgia for an earlier age of mobile phones – when bar phones and the Nokia brand dominated the market.
