Nokia Brings Back Their Iconic Early 2000s Brick Phone

The early days of cellphones (note I didn't type smart phone as they were anything but) were a wild west of technology. But one thing that these cellphones were was reliable. Today's smartphones are often more delicate pieces of art than rugged, functional, well, phones.

Back in the early 2000s one of the best and most well-known phones came from Nokia. And while kids today may not even know the company, those of us around at the time will remember our times texting via a number pad while sneaking in time playing snake, the only game the phone could handle.

The Nokia 3310 was a monster of a phone that could take a beating and keep on ticking. Odds are that if you lived during the 2000s you had one of these phones and the one you still keep in a shoebox in the back of you closet probably still works without any issues.

But now, after a decade of not being produced, Nokia has brought back the iconic 3310 series. The company has relaunched the model in a variety of colors (faceplates were a huge thing back in the day) as a pared-down feature phone.

Debuting this weekend in Barcelona, the new 3310 updates the classic early 2000s model while keeping much of the same look and feel of the original. While not a smartphone, the 3310 now features a color screen and a built-in MP3 player. So mid-2000s!

HMD Global is handling sales of this pared-down device, but chances are that this least thing has been designed for emerging markets. That said, Noika is probably banking of the history the internet has built around the original 3310 series to draw in customers here in the West.

Many are saying that the new 3310 is much cheaper and lighter feeling than the original, and that the phone is nothing more than a marketing ploy to generate sales in areas where feature phones have been left behind.

Only time will tell is people jump onboard (we don't think they will), but at least Nokia has included a full-color version of Snake to keep you busy.