Nokia 3310 revamp rumoured for upcoming mobile phone expo

A comeback by the classic Nokia 3310 handset is rumoured for the upcoming Mobile World Congress, being held in Barcelona from 27 February to 2 March, 2017. Photo / Getty Images

Nokia is going to bring back the historic 3310 in the biggest tech comeback of all time.

A homage to the Finnish giant's classic feature phone will reportedly be released later this month when HMD Global unveils its new range of Nokia-branded devices at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

The Nokia 3310, which was first released in 2000, was beloved for a days-long battery life, ability to withstand great falls, and the classic game Snake.

Once the undisputed king of the mobile market, Nokia's fortunes took a turn for the worse after its decision to support the Windows mobile operating system exclusively, the Daily Mail reports.

With stiff competition from iOS and Android, the flagging firm's handset activities were sold in 2014 to Microsoft to allow Nokia to focus on mobile network equipment.

HMD Global may be hoping to cash in on nostalgia to help its new handset compete with more high-tech offerings from smartphone favourites such as Apple and Samsung.

The updated Nokia 3310 will cost €59 ($87), according to Venture Beat, and is designed to be a second phone.

There are few details about the new phone's features and how it will work.

The original Nokia 3310 could make calls and send text messages, but didn't have a camera and couldn't connect to the internet. But it was renowned for being indestructible and having a seemingly endless battery life.

It is not clear if the contemporary "homage" to the 3310 will introduce some of the features now expected of phones such as internet connection and apps.

HMD, the Finnish start-up which secured a 10-year deal to create phones under the Nokia brand, will unveil its first range of smartphones on February 26. As well as the updated 3310 it is expected to release a range of low-end Android smartphones.

These have been designed to be recognisable as Nokia devices and "take the clutter away", HMD said.

Its first phone was the Nokia 6, which was released in China at the beginning of this year.

The new handset has a 5.5-inch screen of 2.5D Gorilla Glass, 64 GB of on-board storage, a 16 megapixel rear camera and a 3000 mAh battery.

While the 3310 isn't Nokia's best-selling phone of all time, it was iconic. It sold more than 126 million units and its sturdy design meant many first-time phone owners kept it for years.

This article was originally published by The Telegraph.

- additional reporting by Daily Mail