The Nokia 3310 is a GSM mobile phone announced on 1 September 2000,[2] and released in the fourth quarter of the year, replacing the popular Nokia 3210. It sold very well, being one of the most successful phones, with 126 million units sold worldwide,[3] and being one of Nokia’s most iconic[citation needed] devices. The phone is still widely acclaimed[1][4] and has gained a cult status due to its reputation for durability.
Several variants of the 3310 have been released, including the Nokia 3315, 3320, 3330, 3350, 3360, 3390 and 3395.
The Nokia 3310 was produced at factories in Finland and Hungary. The 3315s were produced in South Korea for the Asia-Pacific market.
A new mobile phone based on the 3310 design was launched in 2017. The new Nokia 3310 model comes with a comprehensive update over its predecessor, with a 2.4" color display, a 2 Megapixel rear camera and a microSD slot.[5]
Design
Nokia 3310 with an official “Sahara Yellow” color Xpress-on cover
A grey, Orange-branded 3310 seen from multiple angles
Inside a Nokia 3310 with the battery removed
The 3310 was developed at the Copenhagen Nokia site in Denmark and unveiled at the “Don’t be bored. Be totally board.” lifestyle event in Oberhausen, Germany, as well as “Nokia Unplugged” concerts in the Asia-Pacific region.[6] It is a compact and sturdy phone featuring an 84 × 48 pixel pure monochrome display.[1] It has a lighter removable 115 g (4.1 oz) battery variant which has fewer features; for example the 133 g (4.6 oz) battery version has the start-up image of two hands touching while the 115 g (4.05 oz) version does not. It is a slightly rounded rectangular unit that is typically held in the palm of a hand, with the buttons operated with the thumb. The blue button is the main button for selecting options, with “C” button as a “backspace”, “back” or “undo” button.[1] Up and down buttons are used for navigation purposes. The on/off/profile button is a stiff black button located on the top of the phone. Like its predecessor Nokia 3210, the 3310 was marketed as a customizable consumer-oriented handset targeting the youth.[7] It is about a centimeter shorter than the 3210.[8]
The 3310 is known for being reasonably durable due to its casing and construction, a feature which is often humorously exaggerated in online communities.[9] Numerous videos also exist of the phone being put through increasingly-severe damage tests to test the phone’s strength, including being dropped from a great height (sometimes while being protected with makeshift cases made from various objects), being crushed by heavy objects or being struck by vehicles or hammers, many times of which the phone proved its record.[10] The 3310’s reputation for durability led HMD Global to develop the Nokia 800 Tough with MIL-STD-810G standard compliance in mind.