The Nokia 3310 is arguably one of the most durable phones on the planet.
So it only makes sense that I review the new 2017 successor with the same name sake to
see if the same durable characteristics run in the family.
The important specs are listed on the box, with 31 days of standby time, and, of course,
the snake game.
Back in my day, playing Snake on my dad’s cell phone was one of the coolest things ever,
so it’s fun that Nokia brought that back.
And it’s pretty refreshing to see a removable battery on a modern cell phone.
It’s time to see how the Nokia 3310 stands up to my durability tests.
Let’s get started.
[Nokia Chime]
[Intro]
Now both of these phones might look similar but the larger orange one is actually a fake
imitation that I found on EBay claiming to be the real deal.
It’s fully functional but it’s not the same phone, so be very careful when purchasing
one of these for yourself online if you want a real Nokia 3310.
The fakes are rampant.
The imitation box is the one on the left and the real original box from Nokia is the one
you see on the right – the more colorful one.
I’ll put a link in the description to the real Nokia 3310 when it becomes available
here in the United States.
The scratch test is always first.
Since this phone is what we call a “dumb” phone or a simple phone, I don’t have high
hopes for anything premium like sapphire or glass, and my thoughts were confirmed when
my pick started catching at a lever 3 and leaving full gouges at a level 4.
The screen of this Nokia 3310 is plastic – exactly like the old version.
Since the screen isn’t going to be doing any YouTube, Netflix, or social media in general,
a few scratches aren’t going to be a super big deal.
With something on the inexpensive end of the phone spectrum, I would prefer a plastic screen
over a glass one, since plastic does handle drops better.
The physical buttons are made of plastic.
I tried texting on the T9 pad for kicks and giggles, and even though it’s been 10 years
since I’ve owned a T9 phone, it all came back to me surprisingly quick – just like
riding a bike.
The sides of the phone are made from plastic.
And the top of the genuine 3310 is where the micro USB port is located.
It’s also plastic up here.
The opposite end of the phone has a headphone jack.
There’s also an FM radio as well as an internal SD card slot inside the phone.
It’s nice to see Nokia producing devices equipped with consumer friendly ports.
It’s got to be a little awkward when this “dumb” phone has more features than some
people’s smart phones these days.
The phone’s complaining beeps drown out the scratches a little bit, but you can tell
the phone is pure plastic all over; there’s no screeching metal-on-metal.
A little known fact that starting with the Nokia 6110 in 1998, Snake was actually a two
player game connecting two phones in real time via an infrared port at the top of the
phone.
Kind of like how the old Game Boys could connect to battle Pokémon.
The Nokia 6110 would allow the phones to join their snakes and compete for apples in one
game, and the first snake to crash lost the game.
Pretty impressive for old technology.
Unfortunately this new Nokia 3310 doesn’t come with an Infrared port, but maybe we’ll
see that perk come back eventually in a future model.
One thing I would change on this phone’s design is the camera lens.
It is made of plastic.
Switching to glass would only cost Nokia a few pennies, but at the same time, this phone
is made to be budget and durable so I don’t blame them too much.
Just remember that your easy-to-scratch plastic lens will rest flat on any surface you set
the phone on, so be careful if you want to protect those two megapixels.
Now the burn test reminds me quite a bit of the Nintendo Switch since both of these screens
are plastic.
The display is a 240x320 pixel 2.4 inch TFT LCD.
Big improvement over the monochrome display on the original 3310, but after about 20 seconds
the flame does permanently disfigure the outer layer.
It’s still usable of course.
Just keep in mind that during any volcanic eruptions or apocalyptic scenarios, that top
layer might become a little blemished.
And now the bend test.
Flexing the phone assesses the construction and gives a general idea of how the phone
will hold up over the coming years.
Even though this device does have a physical keyboard below its screen, the screen doesn’t
fall out on a whim like we saw happen with the BlackBerry KEYone.
BlackBerry might want to consider buying a few of these Nokia 3310s for research purposes.
I’ll add a link for them in the video description – or better, BlackBerry can just wait for
my teardown video and we can all see what makes this little brick of a phone so durable.
Flexing from the front or the back and the phone still stays solid and functional.
Nokia has impressed me with the two phones I’ve tested from them this year.
It will be fun to see what they come up with in the future.
This Nokia 3310 passes my durability test.
Come hang out with me on Instagram.
Or check out my Nokia 6 durability test if you’re into the smartphone thing.
Nokia has a long history of taking phone build quality to the next level and it’s good
to see that they haven’t changed.
Thanks for watching.
I’ll see you around.