It’s really too bad they don’t make phones like this for the North American market. My father in law has an aging Samsung dumbphone which frankly has always been a piece of crap when it comes to reception and battery life (but it’s at least reliable.)
The pickings are incredibly slim in regard to LTE dumbphones and at <$100 this thing would fill a beyond-niche gap in demand for basic phones that offer excellent simplicity and battery life.
It’s too bad they couldn’t at least put a 5mp camera in there. It isn’t like it wouldn’t have the storage to hold large photos when equipped with a memory card, and 5mp Sony cmos sensors are $2 in bulk. I can’t imagine the 2mp sensors are much less.
It is smaller than the Android phones, and should offer decent sound quality which a €20 Android handset will not. It has 4G which a €20 smartphone doesn't have and it also has a secure OS which is not a phrase most people would associate with Android 5.0. It is also fun and different which yet another rounded rectangle is not. If you want a good phone which you can use as a 4G hot spot this seems ideal.
I'm not sure what the phone market is like outside of the US, but last May, I purchased an Android phone for $30 (about 1/3rd of the US price for the Nokia). It has a working 4G modem, shipped with 6.0, and the sound quality in calls is no worse than any mid-priced phone I've used. The specs are basically doubled as well as it's got a quad A7, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB storage.
That isn't to say there is something inherently wrong about the Nokia in this article. Different phones appeal to different people, but the cost is a bit high for the capabilities. It seems like the buyer is paying to enjoy the past as the hardware isn't sufficient to justify the MSRP.
Something like a DooGee is about £70 and the reviews aren't great. Anything cheaper is either carrier subsidised or 3G only. The Nokia will also come with luxuries a useful warranty and their traditional robustness but you are right there will be a premium for the design. With the 3310 there was a normal model with a boring design and the same internals for less.
Odd, mine isn't carrier subsidized and shipped with 4G at the price I described. It's a no contract Alcatel Pixi Unite. Honestly, I'm not sure why people still get contract phones if they aren't heavy users because it's absurdly inexpensive to get a usable phone for a very low cost and the service is $20 for three months of airtime or about $6.67 each month.
They didn't need to make the entire case out of metal just to include steel slider hardware. Most old slider phones had plastic cases with steel slider hardware.
And although I'm being critical here, I totally understand why people are buying these. If they ever build one based on the 5300 Xpressmusic (the Nokia phone I have fond memories of); I'll be picking one up, even if I never actually use it.
...AND, you might be able to market these, to iPhone users, who were sticking their phones in their back pockets, sitting on them, and bending the case. "Pre-bent phones, available here!!"
interesting, but, the cost for the spec, nah..also, the screen is constantly visible, to each own, but the reason why I hate "modern" smartphone nothing protects the screen, could they not have made the slider cover the screen with just a type of viewport to let one know you have a message or the clock visible type deal, at least it would give a better reasoning to throw the $80+ at them, and at the very least ensure one does not have to replace the screen if you drop or scuff it.
Likely should have used higher quality components of sorts as well as more internal memory etc doubled up the price (for that matter, why not dual battery so could be 3k worth of battery power last a boat load of time with a simple "reserve" switch like we had on trucks with dual fuel tanks O.O)
I see that a large Q can be used for "quad" or "quater", but up until now I have usually seen the large Q refer to "quad", as in QHD = 1440p and the small q refering to "quarter", as in qHD = 540p.
I disagree. :P I didn't even know they used a different phone in the sequels, but I still remember the great "cachick" of the auto spring mechanism of the phone in the first movie. It made me want to get a cellphone. :D
I've been wanting a "dumbphone" lately to take a break from technology addiction. What's keeping me back though is my need to occasionally hotspot, and to respond to emails (and I don't want to use T9)
If this thing gets speech-to-text capabilities al la Google Assistant, I will have to find a way to pick one up (and pray for a version with actual US bands). Otherwise, the next best thing is probably a Blackberry Classic...
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28 Comments
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Infy2 - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
This is good replacement for any smart phone.jordanclock - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
Any smartphone? Any? That's a stretch.iter - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
It is not a replacement for a smartphone because it cannot do 99% of the things smartphones can do.It is just a phone. For people who need just a phone, not a smartphone.
nirolf - Saturday, March 10, 2018 - link
Any smartphone that doesn't come in banana yellow!Samus - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
It’s really too bad they don’t make phones like this for the North American market. My father in law has an aging Samsung dumbphone which frankly has always been a piece of crap when it comes to reception and battery life (but it’s at least reliable.)The pickings are incredibly slim in regard to LTE dumbphones and at <$100 this thing would fill a beyond-niche gap in demand for basic phones that offer excellent simplicity and battery life.
It’s too bad they couldn’t at least put a 5mp camera in there. It isn’t like it wouldn’t have the storage to hold large photos when equipped with a memory card, and 5mp Sony cmos sensors are $2 in bulk. I can’t imagine the 2mp sensors are much less.
peevee - Monday, March 12, 2018 - link
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-best-simple-androi...eszklar - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
Now bring back an updated Nokia Communicator to complete to Original Nokia Trifeca.jospoortvliet - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
Better bring back an updated Nokia N9 - I might just buy that to replace my S7 ;-)sheh - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
What's the point? And 80 EUR?! You can have Android phones for a quarter of the price. Or less.BedfordTim - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
It is smaller than the Android phones, and should offer decent sound quality which a €20 Android handset will not. It has 4G which a €20 smartphone doesn't have and it also has a secure OS which is not a phrase most people would associate with Android 5.0.It is also fun and different which yet another rounded rectangle is not.
If you want a good phone which you can use as a 4G hot spot this seems ideal.
PeachNCream - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
I'm not sure what the phone market is like outside of the US, but last May, I purchased an Android phone for $30 (about 1/3rd of the US price for the Nokia). It has a working 4G modem, shipped with 6.0, and the sound quality in calls is no worse than any mid-priced phone I've used. The specs are basically doubled as well as it's got a quad A7, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB storage.That isn't to say there is something inherently wrong about the Nokia in this article. Different phones appeal to different people, but the cost is a bit high for the capabilities. It seems like the buyer is paying to enjoy the past as the hardware isn't sufficient to justify the MSRP.
BedfordTim - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
Something like a DooGee is about £70 and the reviews aren't great. Anything cheaper is either carrier subsidised or 3G only. The Nokia will also come with luxuries a useful warranty and their traditional robustness but you are right there will be a premium for the design. With the 3310 there was a normal model with a boring design and the same internals for less.PeachNCream - Tuesday, March 13, 2018 - link
Odd, mine isn't carrier subsidized and shipped with 4G at the price I described. It's a no contract Alcatel Pixi Unite. Honestly, I'm not sure why people still get contract phones if they aren't heavy users because it's absurdly inexpensive to get a usable phone for a very low cost and the service is $20 for three months of airtime or about $6.67 each month.80-wattHamster - Friday, March 16, 2018 - link
If 20EUR phones are anything like $30-40US phones, you don't want one. (Carrier-subsidized handsets don't count.)Flunk - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
They didn't need to make the entire case out of metal just to include steel slider hardware. Most old slider phones had plastic cases with steel slider hardware.Flunk - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
And although I'm being critical here, I totally understand why people are buying these. If they ever build one based on the 5300 Xpressmusic (the Nokia phone I have fond memories of); I'll be picking one up, even if I never actually use it.marvdmartian - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
...AND, you might be able to market these, to iPhone users, who were sticking their phones in their back pockets, sitting on them, and bending the case. "Pre-bent phones, available here!!"shabby - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
Does the cover slide down automatically?BedfordTim - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
No but then it didn't in the original either. It was only the special film versions in the Matrix that had that feature.Dragonstongue - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
interesting, but, the cost for the spec, nah..also, the screen is constantly visible, to each own, but the reason why I hate "modern" smartphone nothing protects the screen, could they not have made the slider cover the screen with just a type of viewport to let one know you have a message or the clock visible type deal, at least it would give a better reasoning to throw the $80+ at them, and at the very least ensure one does not have to replace the screen if you drop or scuff it.Likely should have used higher quality components of sorts as well as more internal memory etc doubled up the price (for that matter, why not dual battery so could be 3k worth of battery power last a boat load of time with a simple "reserve" switch like we had on trucks with dual fuel tanks O.O)
is interesting, nothing more to me at least ^.^
Tams80 - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
It's based on an old design though. If the screen was covered, then it wouldn't be.Death666Angel - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
I see that a large Q can be used for "quad" or "quater", but up until now I have usually seen the large Q refer to "quad", as in QHD = 1440p and the small q refering to "quarter", as in qHD = 540p.takeshi7 - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
If this isn't spring loaded that makes it 1000% less cool.Also, IMO the phone from Matrix Reloaded is way more iconic than the phone from the original Matrix. http://matrix.wikia.com/wiki/The_Matrix_Reloaded_C...
Death666Angel - Saturday, March 10, 2018 - link
I disagree. :P I didn't even know they used a different phone in the sequels, but I still remember the great "cachick" of the auto spring mechanism of the phone in the first movie. It made me want to get a cellphone. :DAlexvrb - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
"The owners of the Nokia band"We're getting the band back together.
mrvco - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
All this phone needs is Wifi Hotspot support and I'm on board.leo_sk - Saturday, March 10, 2018 - link
I believe its thereaufbau - Friday, March 9, 2018 - link
I've been wanting a "dumbphone" lately to take a break from technology addiction. What's keeping me back though is my need to occasionally hotspot, and to respond to emails (and I don't want to use T9)If this thing gets speech-to-text capabilities al la Google Assistant, I will have to find a way to pick one up (and pray for a version with actual US bands). Otherwise, the next best thing is probably a Blackberry Classic...