Nokia 3310 (2017)

Welcome to May 2017, where the most talked-about phone in the UK isn’t a flagship, but a reboot of a legend. The Nokia 3310 (2017) is a technical exercise in nostalgia and simplicity, designed by HMD Global to recapture the magic of the original brick. At just 79g, it is a lightweight, rounded, and incredibly tactile feature phone that comes in vibrant colours like ‘Warm Red’ and ‘Yellow.’ It isn’t trying to replace your smartphone; it is the ultimate ‘weekend’ or ‘festival’ phone, a device that prioritises the basics and battery life above all else.

The technical headline is the staggering battery endurance. While modern smartphones struggle to last 24 hours, the 3310 (2017) offers up to a month of standby time and 22 hours of talk time from its removable 1,200 mAh battery. It features a 2.4-inch curved polarised colour screen (240 x 320) that is surprisingly readable in direct sunlight. It runs the Nokia Series 30+ operating system, which is fast, simple, and includes a revamped version of ‘Snake’ that has immediately become a UK office obsession.

On the connectivity front, it is a 2.5G device, focused on calls and texts, though it does include an FM radio, a microSD slot (up to 32GB) for your music, and a basic 2-megapixel camera with an LED flash. It also features the iconic 3.5mm headphone jack. The build quality is quintessentially Nokia, it feels like it could survive a fall down a flight of stairs without a scratch. The 3310 (2017) is a brilliant bit of counter-programming in the tech world; it is a reminder that sometimes, the most advanced feature a phone can have is the ability to just stay on for a week.