The Nokia 3310 turns 20: Can you guess how much it cost in Malaysia back then?

When the Nokia 3310 was released in 2000, it was a device targeted at young users due to its enhanced chat feature. — Filepic

Are you ready to feel nostalgic? The iconic Nokia 3310 turned 20 on Sept 1, which was the day the device was first announced, according to a report by Wired.

In a Reuters report about its announcement back in 2000, the device was described as an “entry level” phone targeted at young people or those looking to replace the older 3210 (introduced in 1999, it was touted as the first device to be pre-loaded with the Composer software which let users compose their own monotone ringtones).

When the 3310 was introduced to the Malaysian market in November 2000, one of its most touted features was the enhanced text messaging feature where users could go into chat mode to send and receive messages.

In chat mode, users can assign a nickname and view the history of the SMS messages on the screen, which was modelled after the messaging feature on online chat platforms.

However, due to the setup of mobile network services at the time, chat mode could only be used to connect with users of the same phone model.

The 3310 also has a template or concatenated messaging — a feature that Nokia claimed could automatically connect up to three messages together to allow users to type and send longer messages — instead of users having to send multiple separate shorter text messages as per the usual SMS standard at the time.

Other new features include new pre-installed games Space Impact and Bantumi as well as full editable profiles with screensaver, ringtone and profile name which can be downloaded.

Another exciting feature for the 3310 at the time was the Xpress-on or interchangeable phone covers, which came in six different colours. After that, some companies or brands started offering their own phone covers with myriad colours for the Nokia 3310.

As for battery life, this is where the 3310 earned its cult status as it could provide users with talk time of up to four hours and standby time to about 260 hours. Some users on social media joked that if you revive a 3310 today, it probably still has up to 30% of battery life.

The 3310 has also been used in Internet memes by users claiming that the device is “indestructible”, so much so that it was dubbed the “Terminator of cellphones” in a popular Reddit Thread. Apparently, the only way to destroy the phone is to take it to Mordor.

Some YouTubers have also produced videos to test the durability of the 3310 and in one video, a man discovered that the device could potentially even be bulletproof.

The 3310 was discontinued in 2005, although Nokia later revived it as a device with 2G connectivity and a 2-megapixel camera in 2017, priced at just RM239. The company claimed the newer model has battery standby of up to one month and users can still play the classic Snake game.

The original 3310 was priced at RM899 when it was released in Malaysia back in 2000. Today, some sellers are offering the device for around RM80 on e-commerce platforms.