25 years after its release, Nokia 3210 may hit the market with a completely new version.

It’s an item that teenagers who grew up with iPhones consider a family heirloom, but it may once again become a necessity… This is the famous 3210 laptop model from the Nokia brand. An iconic cell phone for many consumers, more than 160 million of whom purchased it before the advent of smartphones.

However, in a tweet posted in mid-March, Finnish telecommunications company HMD, which makes Nokia phones, announced that “icon” catalog will be released (again) in May “his birthday”. All this is accompanied by a pixelated drawing of a yellow object. However, fans of the brand quickly formed a connection with the 3210, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

Nokia 3210, first launched in 1999, has become a benchmark in the GSM market thanks to its small horizontal screen, photo sensor and three integrated games: Snake, Memory and Spin. Before being dethroned by its successor, the Nokia 3310, launched in 2000 and sold 126 million copies.

Resell iconic phones

Information that the Nokia 3210 can be reborn from the ashes has been practically confirmed by the Finnish retailer Giganti and transmitted by the specialized site NokiaMob, which received information about this release. According to the latter, the cell phone can be resold from May 8 and is sold at a price of 89 euros.

Other rumors circulating on X (ex-Twitter) also feature photos of the model in blue and yellow. Stating that these are the colors that will be chosen for this re-release. Some features will also be revised, including the integration of a 2.4-inch LCD screen, 2-megapixel camera, 4G connection and long-lasting battery.

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Since the Finnish company HMD Global began selling phones under license from Nokia, it continues to popularize the brand’s iconic models. In 2017, it was 3310 that was reissued. Following it in 2018 “Banana Phone”nickname given to Nokia 8810.

“Stupid” phone that needs to be turned off

This strategy is all the more effective as consumers increasingly look to step away from their screens. Some see older, affordable cell phones as a means to disconnect from social media while still being accessible. In an interview with Euronews in June 2023, Lars Silberbauer, marketing director of Nokia Phones and HMD Global, says that the flip phone market “increased by 5%” more than a year in the US and confirms market recovery in Europe.

On TikTok, many users under the age of 25 show off what they call their “Dumb Phone”. Literally, them “dumb phone” due to their limited functions. We see consumers pairing the body of their 3310 with pink nails, turning this mobile phone into an accessory. “Cute”. It remains to be seen whether 3210 will succeed in becoming a trendy and viral item for young people.