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The return of Nokia 3310 is turning out to be pretty fruitful for the company. According to Carphone Warehouse, who is the only retailer to start taking pre-orders for the phone, the demand for Nokia 3310 is "astonishing." In a post, Carphone Warehouse said about the device that there is "unprecedented level of demand for a feature phone."
Nokia renewed the Nokia 3310 feature phone after two decades its original phone debuted. The phone's comeback has created a stir among Nokia fanboys who are eagerly waiting to try the phone. Before the launch of the phone, various reports pointed towards the murky future of the phone. However, after its announcement, the public response seems promising for Nokia.
Andrew Wilson, UK director of buying at Carphone Warehouse, said:
"There has been an astonishing groundswell of interest in the Nokia 3310 following the launch announcement of this reimagined classic. Levels of pre-registrations at Carphone Warehouse are incredibly strong, proving that it's not all hype and that consumers really want to get their hands on one."
After Nokia's stint at the MWC 2017, the public interest in the brand has seen an upside. According to a report by the research firm, Captify, Nokia's search graph on the internet has shot up by 797 percent, which converts to 30 billion online searches a month. Captify also pointed out that Nokia 3310's famous "Snake" game has also contributed to the growing popularity. Other than the specs and features of the new Nokia 3310, users are also searching about Nokia's alleged partnerships with carriers. Interestingly, Nokia's feature phone seems to be grabbing more eyeballs than the recently launched flagships - LG G6 and Sony Xperia XZ Premium. Of course, the primary reason behind the slow demand for the flagships is the pricing factor. The Nokia 3310 is comparatively much lighter on the pocket, with a price tag of $50.
Commenting on the new Nokia 3310, Dom Joseph, chief executive of Captify, said:
"The genuine consumer interest in the Nokia 3310 is borne out from our data which shows a huge spike in the public searching for actual network carriers. It demonstrates that people really do want to buy the product well ahead of its release, and are already starting to make decisions about which network they’ll use too."
But the analysts do not seem happy with the popularity of Nokia 3310; many believe that HMD Global should rather focus on other Nokia-branded smartphones to stay in the game for longer. It is worth mentioning that HMD is roped in a ten-year licensing deal for manufacturing Nokia devices.
Ian Fogg, head of mobile analysis at IHS Markit commented on the rising popularity of Nokia 3310; he said,"The launch of the re-imagined Nokia 3310 feature phone threatens to overshadow HMD's modern smartphones. HMD must avoid the Nokia brand being seen as purely a nostalgia brand."
Well, going by the reports, it looks like Nokia did strike the right chord in the name of nostalgia. It would be interesting to see how long the demand manages to sustain.
