Smartphones have made slaves out of their owners, so push-button phones like the Nokia 3210 are in demand among those who are tired of internet addiction. It turns out that such devices are still relevant for those who want to keep in touch without being too distracted by social networks and everything offered by the Android/iOS ecosystem. Today, we’ll take a look at the updated (in honor of the 25th anniversary) Nokia 3210 4G, a phone that will answer the question of the relevance of push-button «ringers» in 2024.
Content
| Technical characteristics | |
| Screen diagonal | 2.4″ |
| Resolution | 320×240 |
| Processor | Unisoc T107 |
| Built-in memory | 13 MB |
| Memory expansion | Micro SD (up to 32 GB) |
| Camera | 2 MP |
| Bluetooth | v5.0 |
| Network | 4G LTE, 3G, 2G |
| Main port | USB Type C |
| Audio port | 3.5 mm |
| Battery | 1450 mAh |
| Charging power | 3 W |
| Dimensions | 122x52x13 mm |
| Weight | 88 grams |
| Additionally | Convex screen |
| FM radio | |
| Built-in games 9 pcs | |
The tiny box contains a Nokia 3210 phone, a 1450 mAh battery in a separate package, a 2.75W charger with a USB Type C plug, and paper documentation.
Visually, Nokia 3210 4G has incorporated some features of the original from 1999. Firstly, the convex screen and the wavy shape of the phone with a slightly narrower waist and wider forearm are striking.
If you press the phone from different sides in your hands, you can hear the creak of plastic, but the device feels monolithic and sturdy. The construction is simple, laconic, and the design is great, subjectively.
The set of interfaces is modest: a USB Type C connector on the bottom and a 3.5 mm jack on top. The sides are clean without any additional buttons. The SIM card is inserted under the battery, as is the memory card. Opening the back cover was not easy. Without strong and long fingernails, it’s almost impossible.
The numeric keypad is comfortable, the buttons are separate and have a nice shape. The only disappointment is the lack of Ukrainian letters (the phone is made for the Ukrainian market), but there is a solid sign and other characters typical of the Russian alphabet.
The navigation key is the peak of the evolution of Nokia’s push-button phones. The Finnish manufacturer began to install this type of «joystick» quite late, closer to the end of the era of dominance of push-button phones over touchscreen ones.
The stroke of the buttons is pleasant, soft, and it is literally impossible to make a mistake by pressing the wrong key. Ergonomics is the strong point of Nokia 3210 — after heavy (200 grams) smartphones, it is a pleasure to use such a phone, you literally do not want to let it out of your hands after a long conversation.
The screen with a resolution of 240×320 pixels and a diagonal of 2.4 inches was a pleasant surprise. First of all, it has excellent viewing angles — the image does not float, does not fade, and the convex lens only adds to its charm and reminds us of the good old days of Nokia push-button phones with monochrome screens.
There are seven brightness levels in total. With minimal backlighting at night it’s not very comfortable (I would like an even lower level), but with maximum brightness in the sun the display behaves well. If only there was a light sensor, it would be worth it.
After Nokia 2660 Flip the image is very high quality, as it was for half of the mid-range push-button phones of 2009-2011. For example, the metal Samsung S5350 cost about $200 at release, and the Nokia 3210 is three to four times less, but the Samsung screen has terrible viewing angles.
It’s hard to find a better display among modern keypad phones, especially under 3000 UAH. If the resolution were a little higher, for example, 320×480 pixels, it would be a compact perfectionist display, although the target audience will definitely never complain about the pixel density.
Nokia 3210 sounds loud, clear, but flat. For ringtones it’s just right, but listening to music through the speaker is a bit of a pleasure, but through headphones the sound is not bad.
We tested it with an inexpensive Panasonic RB-HX220 headset and the sound did not disappoint. You can connect audio equipment both via Bluetooth and via a 3.5 mm cable (which is required as an antenna for listening to the radio).
The vibrating call is strong enough to be heard in noisy public transport through a thick jeans pocket. There are no problems with the connection — Nokia 3210 picks up a 4G signal no worse than typical smartphones.
In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, Kyivstar sometimes has «dips» signal quality, but not critical. This does not affect calls/SMS, and the speed of the Internet connection is enough for the no-script browser Opera Mini anyway. Pages load quickly even with Edge 2G. If necessary, you can manually switch to 3G or 2G networks to save battery power.
By the standards of modern smartphones, Nokia 3210 4G has a weak camera, but among the button models, the photo quality is good. There is no autofocus, but not the smallest text can still be photographed.
In good light, the pictures are not so bad, and most importantly, the color reproduction is relatively realistic. The algorithms do not spoil the picture, although there is a lack of detail and sharpness. The camera in Nokia 3210 is for «tick», there is no competition in the mobile photo market, although the image quality is higher than 0.3 MP in Nokia 2660 Flip.
In the evening, there is a lot of noise, and the flash is too weak to save the day. Due to the limited power, the LED slowly drains the battery in flashlight mode, but it also shines weaker than a typical flash of a budget smartphone.
The firmware is extremely fast because the installed Unisoc T107 processor has a huge performance margin for such minimalist software. The firmware is updated «over the air» using mobile data.
There are minimal animations in the interface, and the speed of work is excellent — everything opens instantly at the touch of a button. There are many useful utilities among the built-in programs, but video games in the main menu are clearly unnecessary. There are nine in total, eight of which are not activated (demo versions).
The list of built-in programs:
It is immediately noticeable that there is no stopwatch, although the set of programs is generous. There is no light theme, the background will always be in black colors, and not everyone likes to read SMS messages in white on a black background.
You can change only the auxiliary design, choosing from six colors. That is, you choose the color of the selected item, message, contact, etc., but no more.
The phone book here is discrete, not dynamic, so you can add no more than 2000 contacts. The list is sorted by last name or first name. It’s nice that there is a function to synchronize contacts with Android via Bluetooth. You will have to transfer the phone book from iOS manually.
Unwanted numbers can be blocked, which is very important. The fact is that many manufacturers of push-button phones simply forget to add such a useful feature to the proprietary software of their devices.
The Nokia 3210 has a power saving mode, during which the operator’s mobile data is not used. In eco mode, the phone can easily work for 7-10 days without charging, provided that you don’t make too many calls.
If you actively use the phone (photos, the Internet, games, music), it is still very difficult to deplete the battery in 3-4 days. The main advantage is that Nokia 3210 does not distract the owner, so the total screen time is much less than that of a modern smartphone.
That is why the 1450 mAh battery lasts much longer than 5000 mAh in Android smartphones. It’s impossible to talk about any special energy efficiency of the hero of the review — its autonomy is a merit of the style of use and functional limitations.
To preserve the health of the battery, Nokia 3210 can limit its maximum charge level to 80%. This is not a new feature, as the same options can be found in modern smartphones. It takes a little over two hours to fully charge the 2.75W power supply from 0% to 100%.
The Nokia 3210 leaves a pleasant impression, especially after typical Android smartphones. The phone is as light as a feather, fits in any pocket, and holds a battery charge for a long time. At the same time, the device itself is lightning fast, without thinking about typical actions.
For example, the calendar opens in a few hundredths of a second after pressing the center key on the corresponding item. As well as any action in Nokia 3210 except for launching the camera (it takes about two seconds), and a smartphone needs many times more time for such an action.
If necessary, you can access the Internet, read some news in the Opera Mini browser, synchronize contacts with your Android phone, listen to music from the memory card or use the FM radio.
I also liked the presence of a USB Type C connector, which allows you to charge the phone not only with the factory cable, but also with any other (hardly anyone has a Type C cable at home in 2024).
On the negative side, it’s worth noting the built-in demo versions of video games that can’t be removed or even moved from the main menu. It’s good that at least the snake is already activated, and you don’t have to pay for it.
The hero of the review Nokia 3210 4G is officially sold in Ukraine for 2900 UAH. Relative to push-button phones from unknown manufacturers, this is really a lot. The cheapest Android smartphones are only slightly pricier.
However, the Nokia 3210 has a good display and optimized software, which is not often seen in budget «handsets» Chinese brands, so we chose models from this price category as competitors.
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