HMD, which has recovered the Nokia brand, announced the big return of the 3210 a few days ago. But for some, using this phone might be disappointing.
Twenty-five years after its release, the 3210 has made a comeback. HMD, which produces phones under the Nokia brand, formalized the release of this new version on Wednesday May 8.
The first, launched in 1999, was one of the brand’s flagship models in the early 2000s, selling more than 160 million units. This mythical “dumb phone”, however, may not be suitable for everyone today. Here are three warnings before offering it.
A very limited camera
At a time when the majority of smartphones offer several sensors for photos, the Nokia 3210 still only offers one. A single 2 megapixel photo sensor with a flash that can also be activated like a flashlight. You will therefore not have to rely on this phone to obtain quality photos. If the number of megapixels is far from determining the quality of a photo, for comparison, the most modest smartphones generally offer 8 or 12 megapixel sensors.
An impractical keyboard
While smartphones allow you to quickly write SMS, this is not the case with the Nokia 3210. Having a keyboard with 9 numbered keys, it requires, for example, pressing 7 four times and 2 once. , three times on the 5, twice on the 8, then once again on the 8 just to write the word “hi”, for a total of 11 presses. Writing an SMS on this phone takes time.
And, if the 3210 has the T9 predictive writing software to make it easier to write messages, this one is not always ideal. It allows you to get rid of these multiple keystrokes, with just one press per letter to write a word. Retaining the last words used and those that are often typed, it displays words that could correspond to the combination entered. The user can then confirm the proposal, generally by simply pressing the 0 key which inserts a space.
Cheaper alternatives
Sold at 79.90 euros, the Nokia 3210 costs much less than a smartphone. But it is however much more expensive than other “dumb phones” with similar functions. Nokia itself markets “dumb” phones at a lower cost, such as the 3310, sold at 59.99 euros, or the Nokia 105, offered at 29.99 euros.
Apart from the Finnish brand, there are even cheaper “dumb phones”, like le Energizer E13available at a price of 22.72 euros.