If you were of phone-buying age in the year 1999, there's a chance you probably came across the Nokia 3210. The company's brand new flagship mobile was an incredibly popular, covetable brick of social status, instant communication, and Snake.
And now, in the ongoing age of the dumbphone and TikTok's undying obsession with the '00s, HMD and Nokia have resurrected its iconic 3210 a whopping 25 years later with a few updates like Bluetooth, 4G connectivity, a USB-C charger, 2-megapixel camera, and 2.4-inch screen. And while it's undeniably gimmicky, notably £74.99, and something HMD has been doing for a few years now, I've been smacked with nostalgia playing around with it.
Personally, it was actually the Nokia 3310, which replaced the 3210 in 2000, that had more of an impact on me at 12 years old. It was technically my mum's phone, but my sister and I would steal it from her netball bag and pretend to know enough people to personally contact (*calls Nanna*). Nokia actually rebooted the 3310 in 2017, causing Mashable's senior editor Stan Schroeder to ditch his smartphone for a week.
Nokia is banking on Y2K nostalgia to sell these reboots, with the 3210 coming in colours called "Y2K Gold" and "Grunge Black". I've been playing with one of the devices in "Scuba Blue", which would absolutely have matched my 2000s bedroom filled with a bright blue inflatable armchair, vases of fake gerberas, S Club 7's debut album, Lip Smackers, and Groovy Chick paraphernalia.
It's the throwback joy with the 3210 that masks how much you'll truly appreciate your smartphone after using it and the fact that over the last two and half decades technological advancements have put a literal computer in your hand. Notably, this isn't a review of the phone, simply a '90s kid reconnecting with a reboot and all the suppressed memory and Impulse Spice that comes with it.
Here's five things that threw me straight back to my '90s self with the Nokia 3210, starting with the most obvious truth.
1. I'm still shit at Snake
It's going to be the first thing that comes into your mind with the Nokia 3210: is Snake on it? Reader, the phone has Snake, with an updated look and a firm reminder that I never was, never will be, good at this this game.
2. Tactile texting gives me instant high school anxiety
I'm a pretty fast typist — I have to be, it's literally my job — and on a smartphone I can speedily tap in a message (but don't tell the people waiting on a reply from me). However, on the Nokia 3210, with each raised, tactile button covering three to four different letters and prompting predictive text, it's a different beast.
I typed out one short, dumb text message on the 3210 and it took me about 10 minutes. And every second I felt like I was regressing into tween freakout mode, anxiously choosing what very few words to say. It was a different time. Hilary Duff's "LOL" SMS in A Cinderella Story had impact, people. Nowadays I just rapid-fire message whatever bullshit's on my mind. There's no consideration.
3. The phone actually fits in your pocket
Remember your phone properly fitting in your pocket, rather than it peeking out as a pickpocketing Bat signal? At 122 millimetres by 52 millimetres, the 3310 actually fits within my jeans pocket, and makes me feel slightly like I'm carrying a burner phone.
4. The camera is low key as hell
It's giving Game Boy Camera, honestly. Taking photos or video on a 2.4-inch screen with a 2-megapixel camera feels extremely novel, and considering you only get 128 MB of space on this thing, you won't take many (yeah, yeah there's MicroSD card support never fear). There's a couple of filters and rudimentary editing tools, and an LED flash, but you're probably better off using a point and shoot if you're looking to get the most of of the nostalgia factor.
5. You can play the radio on it
Everyone gather round to the wireless on my Nokia 3210, as it gets half-decent radio signal. Jokes aside, I'm a diehard radio enthusiast and former radio presenter, but I rarely listen to it on my phone — I'm more of a website media player fan. But with the radio feature, you can tune in like you're searching for Three Dog on your Pip-Boy in Fallout.
It also takes MP3s, which I haven't figured out how to add yet, but considering Limewire and Morpheus are out of the question I might just stick to radio.
After about a week of playing around with the rebooted Nokia 3210, I'm not going to ditch my smartphone — I need Maps, Spotify, WhatsApp and actual apps to function and though the 3210 does have access to the internet through Opera Mini, it's a bit of a punish — when you can actually connect, I had so much trouble with this. Ultimately, it's a sweet but not cheap reminder of an old mobile. And nostalgia's a hell of a marketing tool.
