Nokia reportedly resurrecting ‘indestructible’ phone

WASHINGTON — The Nokia 3310 maintains a legendary status among those who remember mobile phones’ earlier days. Now, it looks set to make a return.

When the 3310 model launched way back in 2000, it quickly became known for its rugged durability — seemingly-indestructible is more accurate — long battery life, call clarity and the video game “Snake II.”

According to a VentureBeat report, Nokia is bringing the iconic 3310 back with a modern twist.

The new phone will allegedly be sold for a mere €59 (around $63) to European and North American customers first.

So far, there are no details on how similar the new version will be to its 2000 ancestor.

An email to Nokia for comment was not immediately returned.

The internet seemed to react positively to the news with a slew of Nokia 3310 memes.

Fans, and the curious, have subjected the phone to a wide variety of destruction tests.

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Nokia was for years the world’s top mobile phone maker until the advent of smartphones such as the iPhone and Android-based systems.

It also increasingly struggled to compete with cheaper models from competitors in emerging markets in Asia and elsewhere. It ultimately sold its loss-making devices and services unit to Microsoft in a 5.44 billion-euro deal in 2014.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Will Vitka

William Vitka is a Digital Writer/Editor for WTOP.com. He's been in the news industry for over a decade. Before joining WTOP, he worked for CBS News, Stuff Magazine, The New York Post and wrote a variety of books—about a dozen of them, with more to come.

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