In 1998, the original Nokia 8110 slider “banana” phone was released; it was one of the first to feature an ergonomic shape, with the slider shooting down and out curving gently towards your mouth and while totally unique in concept at the time it wasn't the only reason it gained wide mainstream popularity and even cult status.
Many fans of the Nokia 8110 will have fond memories of the moment when Keanu Reeves – in the major box office hit the Matrix film shoots down the slider when answering the phone and speaking to Morpheus before dropping it from the ledge of a tall skyscraper after he has stepped out the window of his office to evade the agents.
Nokia at its best
Back then Nokia could lay claim to the title the “world’s leading mobile phone supplier” and used its popularity to feature the Nokia 8110 “banana phone” in The Matrix film. The collaboration was a success and catapulted the device as a flagship device of that year. It was definitely the must-have of the times and everyone wanted to be just like Neo in the film and wanting to capture some of the magic of the film.
Two decades later
Fast forward 20 years and the Nokia 8110 became reloaded at Mobile World Congress 2018. Playing on the nostalgic success of the revamped Nokia 3310; the release of the Nokia 8110 hopes to receive the same reception.
The Nokia 8110 runs on the Smart Feature OS but will not be getting access to the Android apps found on other Nokia Android smartphones. However, HMD Global (the home of Nokia phones) is creating an app store for the device, which will include Facebook and other apps.
The brand new Nokia 8810 released this year (2018)
The new features revealed include:
- 25 days’ battery life on standby.
- A small number of apps including Facebook, Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Search and Twitter.
- 4G connectivity and the ability to share 4G in a hotspot.
- LTE support across Europe.
- Dual-SIM versions available.
- Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform processor, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of storage
- 4-inch QVGA display.
- 2-megapixel camera at the rear.
- A bigger screen in full-colour
- Available in black and matte-yellow (banana) finish.
The original Nokia 8810 released in 1998
HMD Global state that “The Nokia 8110 comes with the craftsmanship you expect from a Nokia phone, delivering durability and reliability as standard. With a familiar and easy to use interface, it features intuitive tactile mechanics, with slide to answer and end calls, as well as an addictive helicopter style spin on its axis.”
Paying homage to the original
The upgraded Nokia 8110 can pride itself it holding its original qualities while staying in trend with all the smartphone essentials needed. Nokia is definitely on the right track is making their classic phones relevant again.
It will be exciting to see whether the Nokia 8110 will beat the sales of the revamped Nokia 3310 announced at last years MWC, only time will tell. The phone is due for release in stores on May 2018.
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Sources: IOL, The Verge & The Guardian