Nokia 3310

Status: ⚫️ No battery

Specs

Launch date: 2000
Software platform: Nokia OS (Series 20)
Display: 84 x 48 pixels, monochrome
Connectivity: GSM 900/1800
Storage: 8 dialed, 8 received, 8 missed calls memory
Other notable features: removable cover, SMS chat, picture messaging, built-in games (Snake II, Pairs II, Space Impact, Bantumi), calculator, stopwatch, reminder function

The Nokia 3310 is not just a phone — it’s a cultural artifact of the early 2000s. Its durability became the stuff of legend: it felt like if you dropped a 3310 on the floor, the tiles would suffer more than the phone itself. Its hardware minimalism reached an almost Zen-like state: a monochrome screen, a crisp keypad, and yet — rock-solid reception even in places where other models barely picked up a signal. It didn’t distract you from life — it just worked.

I had this phone in my hands more than once: first from my father, then my uncle, and later from a close family friend. In every case — the same reliability, the same feel. And of course, Snake — not just a game, but a meditative experience in its own right. People would get lost in it for hours, chasing high scores like it was an Olympic event. The 3310 became one of those rare pieces of tech that never grew old in people’s hearts, even long after it disappeared from store shelves.

All photos from Vintage Cellphone and PDA Museum by TiredSysadmin are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International.