Nokia 3310 revamp on sale starting Friday

MANILA- The reworked Nokia 3310 will be available in retail outlets starting Friday, its manufacturer said, marking the iconic mobile phone brand's big return to the Philippines with a play on nostalgia.

The handset is aimed at consumers looking for a durable phone that will also allow them to disconnect from social media, according to HMD Global, the Finnish firm that owns the license to make Nokia phones.


The phone retails for P2,490 and is available in red, yellow, dark blue, and gray, HMD Global said in a statement. 

Three other Android-powered handsets, the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 will go on sale on July 14, it said.

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Nokia 3310 returns with Snake, month-long battery

MANILA - Finland's HMD Global has resurrected the Nokia 3310, one of the world's most popular call-and-text handsets before touchscreen smartphones popularized by Apple's iPhone took over the mobile landscape.

The original 3310 debuted in 2000, came with replaceable color back covers, and helped its 120 million of users kill time with games like Snake until it was discontinued in 2005.

Here's what we know so far about the new Nokia 3310. There is no word yet on local availability.

- It has a full color screen, a huge upgrade from the graphic LCD panel on its predecessor.

- It comes in four colors: a glossy red and yellow, and matte dark blue and gray.

- Snake is back, and it slithers on a more colorful maze.

- It has a camera and allows web browsing.

- It boasts of up to 22 hours talk time and "month-long" standby

- It will retail globally for 49 euros or roughly 2,600 pesos. The highest capacity iPhone 7 Plus, at around P55,000, is equivalent to at least 21 3310s.

Analysts said resurrecting the popular model was a clever way for HMD Global to relaunch Nokia's brand.

"HMD launched three new smartphones and an iconic mobile. It is a way to create a halo effect around the other models by reviving talk about the Nokia brand," said Thomas Husson, a mobile analyst at Forrester.

In addition to the new 3310, HMD presented three new smartphones, the Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 which will sell for different prices.

The Nokia 6 was already available in China and will now go on sale globally.

"We think (Nokia) could take 5 percent of the global smartphone market by the end of 2019. But it needs to get big quick or it won't work," said CCS Insight's device specialist and chief of research, Ben Wood.



Nokia was the world's top mobile maker between 1998 and 2011 but was overtaken by South Korean rival Samsung after failing to respond to the rapid rise of smartphones.

Its telephone brand remains widely recognized, especially in developing markets.

Now a leading telecom equipment maker, Nokia sold its entire handset business to Microsoft Corp in 2014.

Last year HMD bought Microsoft Mobile's handset business and the right to use the Nokia brand.

Under the agreement, Nokia will receive royalty payments from HMD for sales of every Nokia branded mobile phone or tablet. -- with reports from Agence France-Presse

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HMD Global launches first Nokia smartphone

HMD Global, the Finnish company that owns the rights to use Nokia's brand on mobile phones, announced on Sunday its first smartphone, targeted for Chinese users with a price of 1,699 yuan ($246).

The launch marks the first new smartphone carrying the iconic handset name since 2014 when Nokia Oyj (NOKIA.HE) chose to sell its entire handset unit to Microsoft (MSFT.O).

The new device, Nokia 6, runs on Google's (GOOGL.O) Android platform and is manufactured by Foxconn (2354.TW). It will be sold exclusively in China through online retailer JD.com (JD.O), HMD said.

"The decision by HMD to launch its first Android smartphone into China is a reflection of the desire to meet the real world needs of consumers in different markets around the world... it is a strategically important market," HMD said in a statement.

Nokia was once the world's dominant cellphone maker but missed the shift to smartphones, and then chose Microsoft's Windows operating system for its "Lumia" range.

After the 2014 deal, Microsoft continued selling cheaper basic phones under Nokia's name and Lumia smartphones under its own name, but last year, it largely abandoned both businesses.

HMD in December took over the Nokia feature phones business and struck a licensing deal that gave it sole use of the Nokia brand on all phones and tablets for the next decade.

It will pay Nokia royalties for the brand and patents, but Nokia has no direct investment in HMD. Nokia Oyj is currently focused on telecom network equipment business and technology patents.

HMD CEO Arto Nummela, who was once responsible for Nokia's sales and product development, told Reuters last month that HMD aims to be one of the key competitive players in the smartphone business where it faces tough competition from Apple (AAPL.O), Samsung (005930.KS) and dozens of other players.

HMD launched some new Nokia basic phones last month. It said on Sunday it was looking to launch more new products in the first half of the year.

(Reporting by Jussi Rosendahl and Eric Auchard)

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