According to one of the UK’s leading mobile retailers, Carphone Warehouse, the Nokia 3310 has seen an “unprecedented level of demand” in the UK. By all accounts the Nokia 3310 is not a new phone. However, the newly-rebranded Nokia under the guidance of HMD Global announced a new and updated version of the Nokia 3310 at MWC 2017 and since then, the mobile industry has seen swarms of interest surrounding the new Nokia 3310. These latest comments look to highlight that the interest is not purely a result of just consumer fascination and instead – and at the very least in the UK – are signs of actual and tangible demand for the Nokia 3310.
According to Carphone Warehouse’s UK Director of Buying, Andrew Wilson, the demand so far has been well beyond expectation with Wilson specifically saying that “levels of pre-registrations at Carphone Warehouse are incredibly strong.” A point which Wilson goes on to note proves consumers do actually one to purchase the Nokia 3310 and that the interest surrounding the phone is “not all hype.” However, it does remain to be seen how widespread the demand will be on a global level and certainly in other mature markets due to the Nokia 3310’s dependence on older networks. Although if consumers in mature markets are considering this as more of a novel purchase than a usable one, then for the budget price, the likes of Snake may very well outweigh whether the phone is compatible with a consumer’s regional network.
Of course, price is always likely to play a role in a device’s success and the Nokia 3310 is no exception. While this is a phone that is not ‘smart’ in any meaningful capacity and offers little compared to the current mobile phone landscape, the price of the Nokia 3310 is set at only €49 in Europe. Which certainly makes this a very affordable product and one which some consumers are likely pick up irrespective of whether it is used as their ‘daily driver’. While the specs are not riveting or by any measure, competitive, it does seem that the Nokia 3310 is managing to capitalize on its nostalgia value well. Something that seems to be becoming more prevalent in the technology sector in general – with the likes of the Nintendo NES Classic Edition offering the same sort of throwback features and seemingly, also able to translate interest into actual sales.