Recently, enthusiasts launched a museum website dedicated to the Nokia 3310

The site tells about the history of Nokia 3310 and the reasons for its unreal memeticity. On the plus side, you can listen to ringtones and even break one phone (at least somewhere!). The color scheme and visual elements are the same as the iconic model.

We also decided to delve into the history of Nokia 3310 and tell you why it is so good.

Have you ever used Nokia 3310?

It was in the 2000s

I wanted it, but I never bought it

No, he’s older than me

Answer

Became one of the best-selling at the time of release

The company sold 126 million phones (due to which the model is still among the top selling ones in history). But they didn’t buy it for endless charging and durability. In the 2000s we paid attention to:

the presence of a vibration signal – then it was a rarity and you had to cut it yourself;
snake – which is still addictive and remains one of the most popular mobile games of all time: just type the name of the game into Google and try and hang out in it for an hour;
design – without antennas protruding from the top, with smooth edges and large buttons, each of which can be reached with one hand.

The Nokia 3310 designer said he wanted the phone to be friendly and responsive, which is why the design is fluid and the buttons are arranged in a “smile shape.” “I called it visual ergonomics—when an object communicates how intuitive and easy it is to use.”

Customization and more customization

Instead of wallpaper and cases in the 2000s, we changed phone cases (which was especially convenient if the case was scratched/broken).

Nokia 3310 is one of the first phones with SO many removable panels: from bright solid colors to options with photos of Britney Spears and 50 Cent.

You could also set unique ringtones for each contact and create your own melodies. True, only seven pieces fit.

Autonomy

A small removable battery with a capacity of only 900 mAh, which could easily last up to 5 hours of talk time and 260 in standby mode. You could easily charge it once a week and think that you forgot your power bank at home.

And when the battery is worn out, just install another one, rather than buying a new phone.

Many new features for its time

Nokia was one of the first to offer users an early version of the auto-correction system. Expanded the number of message characters to 459 (and messages were expensive back then).

She also added the ancestor of modern instant messengers – mobile chat. Users sent SMS to each other, but it looked like classic chats on the Internet: you could receive messages in real time, communicate with several people, come up with nicknames…

And, of course, infinite, memetic durability

Thanks to its simple design, the phone was almost impossible to break: the outer plastic case absorbed the main force of the impact. And the inner casing, which protected the iron, did not suffer so much. Numerous drop tests, longevity stories, and memes add to the cult following. Here are a couple of examples:

In 2017, the 49-year-old retired officer told The Sun that he had been using a Nokia 3310 for 17 years. And he doesn’t plan to change, because the phone still works great.

Bloggers are still conducting drop tests of the phone: HaerteTest dropped the phone to the ground from a height of more than 30 meters – and it continued to work. And UnlockRiver dropped him from a height of about 300 meters.