There’s no denying that the Nokia 3210 was one of the most successful mobile phones in all of history. For many kids of the 90’s it was also your first phone! But now that this wonderful piece of technology is about to reach 15 years old – what exactly about this phone captured our hearts?
1. It was a phone!
The thing about modern smartphones is that we rarely use them as a phone anymore. Smartphones are more like mini-computers that we use to check social media, maps and even to check the weather. Making phone calls and texts? Never. With your Nokia 3210 it was amazing being able to text and phone your friends after school. Although not too much – every text was 10p! Do we all remember needing to delete texts to free up space for more too?
2. There were games!
Just how many hours did we all sink into Snake? The infuriating, but amazing game that actually taught us some life skills. Between classes was the time to obsessively play Snake then check if your high score beat all your friend’s high scores. It was always heartbreaking when you got a really massive snake and made a mistake…
3. You could actually afford it!
Unlike smartphones these days that cost a good chunk of £600 on pay-as-you-go, a Nokia 3210 was actually affordable. You really could ask your parents to get you one for your birthday. Plus credit meant you couldn’t overspend on it. Indeed, when your credit ran out you found yourself doing extra chores in order to get money to buy it. It was really an investment for your parents.
4. It was virtually unbreakable!
Look at an iPhone or the likes these days and the screen will crack. This wasn’t the case with a Nokia 3210. This phone was a tough beast. Drop it. Throw it. Play football with it. There was no breaking this phone.
5. The battery lasted for days!
Do you remember charging your Nokia 3210? No, us neither. The battery probably lasted for weeks. Those were the days!
6. They came in cool colours!
Having a Nokia 3210 wasn’t just a social status thing – when the different colours came out it was also a fashion accessory. You just had to hope your parents didn’t get you a rubbish colour.
7. You got to spend ages choosing your ringtone!
It wasn’t just the colour of your Nokia 3210 that made a statement – your ringtone was just as important. Good job this phone came with some nifty little ringtones then! How many of you spent a good hour choosing the perfect ringtone? Don’t worry, we did too.