Nokia 5310 redux: A glorified MP3 player or just another feature phone in a crowded market?

The iconic Nokia brand, owned by the Finnish start-up HMD Global dabbles in nostalgia at least once a year. It was 2017 when the iconic Nokia 3310 roared back to life as a modern classic. Then in 2018, they resurrected the Nokia 8110, also known as the ‘banana phone’. Last year saw the return of the quintessential flip phone factor with the Nokia 2720 Flip.

It’s 2020 now and this year Nokia has chosen to please the audiophiles with the revival of the Nokia 5310. 13 years ago it bore the “XpressMusic” tag. In 2020, it is simply being called the Nokia 5310.

The world of smartphones has changed drastically over the years ever since the introduction of the original iPhone in 2007. Feature phones haven’t had such a drastic makeover but even they have chosen to never settle.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The Nokia 5310 lives on

The Nokia 5310 may win the ‘cutest mobile phone of the year’ award but let me tell you that it isn’t much more than a looker. In a world of Jio Phones from Reliance and other beefier feature phones, Nokia is tapping into nostalgia harder than most.

When I first got my hands on the Nokia 5310, I couldn’t wait to unbox it. With a plethora of Nokia mobile phones still lying around my house, it’s safe to say that prior to 2007 they were a huge hit in my household. From form factor to being packed with extra features, Nokia was way ahead of its time back then. The overall design language of the 2020 Nokia 5310 turned back the time and brought back many memories. From a design standpoint, the Nokia 5310 is faultless. I got the black variant with the red side panels that include the music buttons and I was sold.

Today, society lives on its smartphones more than ever. Whether we’re lying down in bed, commuting to our offices or just lost in a city that isn’t ours, smartphones come in handy in more ways than one. We use them to communicate to our friends and family via texting, calling, video chatting and so much more. These days smartphones come with larger displays, multiple cameras, bigger batteries and enough processing power to get us through a full day of work, rest and relaxation and so much more.

First impressions may only go so far though. Shortly after going through the specifications sheet and turning the phone on I became disappointed. It seems like the brand cannot shake off it’s pre-economic recession traits. The brand has grown in many ways but some of its decisions are baffling in today’s world.

The Nokia 5310 is the antithesis of today’s smartphone.

From HMD Global’s standpoint, releasing feature phones in a market like India makes sense. First, the feature phone market is still a large part of the mobile phone industry in India. Second, tapping into that nostalgia helps consumers make an instant connection. Third, according to a CMR report released last week, mobile audio is more important to the consumer than cameras. Fourth, a lot of people are still buying their first ever mobile phone and don’t want to spend a whole lot of dough.

With all this in mind, let’s bring it back to the choices Nokia has made in 2020. The Nokia 5310 comes with a 2.4-inch QVGA display, 8MB RAM, 16MB internal storage (expandable to 32GB via microSD card), a 1,200mAh battery, a VGA camera, dual-front speakers and the most-loved feature, the FM radio.

The camera could have been slightly better and maybe a sharper display, but beyond that, you can’t really fault HMD. With a device this side and a price point palatable for most of the population, there really was not a lot of wriggle room for HMD. There’s also the removable battery that we all miss and the small form factor we certainly loved.

Where you can fault HMD is in the choice of connectivity. In a world of WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube, the least Nokia could have included is 3G, let alone 4G - the standard offering in 2020. Furthermore, unlike Reliance’s Jio Phone 2, there is no Wi-Fi functionality.

With limited capabilities on the Nokia 5310, one struggles to find a reason to think this feature phone will fly off the shelves (virtual, these days, brought to us by the coronavirus pandemic).

Industry analysts will also wrestle with the mere existence of the Nokia 5310. It’s a refurbished device from 2007. It isn’t particularly new or earth-shattering. The competition will easily take it out with feature phones that have beefier specs and cheaper price points.

What’s the game plan, dear HMD Global?

At Rs 3,399, it’s puzzling as to what HMD Global’s strategy is for the Nokia 5310. Is it being pitched purely on nostalgia? Is it going to win the hearts of audiophiles? Is it tapping into first-time mobile phone users? Is it a 2G feature phone trying to stay afloat in a sea of 3G/4G feature phones? Who knows.

When I think of feature phones these days and the ways companies can expand their reach is by pitching it as a second ‘phone’. A phone that never dies, and even if you drop it a thousand times, it won’t get rattled.

Still, the omissions made by HMD Global don’t sync up with today’s consumer demands. Shopkeepers across the country (whenever they finally open up) will be struggling to find reasons to pitch this to the influx of customers into their stories.

The Nokia 5310 is available in just one variant, at Rs 3,399. For reference, Reliance’s Jio Phone 2 is available at Rs 2,999.

The long and short of it is this; Nokia missed the bus by not upgrading certain specifications to what is today’s standards. Playing purely on nostalgia will help sell a couple of phones, but beyond that, the Nokia 5310 is going to struggle.

Reliance’s Jio Phone will eat it alive.