The forgotten phone: Nokia 8310

January 23, 2023 Luisa Rey

In this edition of ‘The forgotten phone’ we go to the year 2001. The Finns then released the Nokia 8310, a thick, striking mobile phone of which you could change the cover yourself. We update you in this new edition of our column.

Nokia 8310

Years ago, Nokia released one device after another. One even more striking, firmer or better than the other. So is the Nokia 8310, which appeared on the market in 2001. We discuss the telephone this week in ‘The forgotten telephone’. As you can tell from the name, the device was part of the 8000 series. A series that guaranteed a primarily premium experience. The phone had the same simple operation as you saw with many Nokias at the time. Still, the Nokia 8310 had a number of more unique features on board.

As one of the first models, the Nokia 8310 was equipped with infrared. We also saw an FM radio, there was support for GPRS and the Nokia could be used to keep a full agenda. For this, there was a full-fledged calendar application on the 8310. The Nokia’s display showed five lines and was monochrome. The Nokia 8310 was one of the smallest phones that Nokia has released up to that time. The size came out at 97 x 43 x 19 millimeters, with a weight of 84 grams.

Nokia also mentioned another special feature of the Nokia 8310. You could set profiles for your ringtones and messages. For example, think of ‘outside’, which increased the volume of your ringtone. Another feature was the ability to record voice memos with a maximum duration of three minutes. The most characteristic feature of this Nokia was the presence of Xpress-on covers. This allowed you to change the appearance of the front and back. With these covers, the center piece was translucent. This way you could make the device completely unique. Many dozens of color combinations were possible.

The Nokia 8310 was certainly not cheap. The hip phone from the Finnish manufacturer came onto the market for an amount of about 450 euros.