Mobile phone rings the changes as an old school favourite goes back on sale

THERE ARE no fancy apps and only basic internet connection, but the Nokia 310, the original old school mobile phone, is about to be reborn.

Seventeen years after its first release, the iconic handset goes back on sale today and while it might lack many of the features found on modern smartphones, its battery can still last a month without charging and it will also reunite a generation with the classic mobile game Snake.

The 3310 is being re-released by Finnish firm HMD Global, but technology firms have been warned not to rely nostalgia to generate sales.

Andreas Pouros from Greenlight Digital said: “Leveraging sentiment from the past has so far been an effective way for Nokia to communicate with its audience after the announcement earlier this year.

“However, it’s important brands don’t do nostalgia marketing for the sake of it. After all, not all brands can achieve that trip-down-memory-lane feeling like the classic ‘first mobile game’ Snake. If brands do plan to use nostalgia marketing within campaigns, they must understand their audience well enough to ensure it not only resonates, but is also something customers actually want.”

Retailer Carphone Warehouse said it has seen “phenomenal” response from customers preregistering for the device, but Mr Pouros believes questions remain over the motives behind the relaunch.

He said: “It’ll be interesting to see if the sales reflect the hype for Nokia 3310, or if it was simply a PR stunt to generate excitement for the brand.”