HMD relaunched Nokia's 3310 as a cheap nostalgia phone.

The original Nokia 3310, made between 2000 and 2005, sold more than 126 million units and became a cultural icon famous for its battery life and near-indestructibility. Nokia later sold its handset business to Microsoft, and the name faded from phones.

Finnish startup HMD Global took a license to make Nokia-branded phones in 2016. At Mobile World Congress in February 2017 it unveiled Android smartphones and, to close the event, a modern version of the 3310 — the headline no one expected.

The 3310 was positioned deliberately as a simple digital-detox or holiday phone rather than a budget smartphone, priced around 50 euros with Snake and long battery life. HMD's CEO called it a new take on a classic.

When it went on sale in May 2017, Carphone Warehouse reported selling out of very limited stock online. The relaunch put the Nokia brand back in the cultural conversation and drew attention to the Android phones that carried HMD's real business.

The relaunched 3310 launched at about 50 euros, sold out of limited online stock at Carphone Warehouse, and anchored HMD's new Nokia-branded Android phone lineup.

The 3310's durability and Snake made it beloved, so the revival needed no new explanation.

A low price and deliberate simplicity gave it a role the smartphone market had abandoned.

The surprise timing of the launch maximized free publicity at the industry's biggest show.

The nostalgia halo lifted the whole Nokia-branded lineup, not just the feature phone.

A famous product can be revived cheaply under license: the relaunch borrows the original's goodwill and durability reputation while the modern smartphone lineup carries the business.

HMD used the 3310's attention to build a steady business in Nokia-branded Android phones, and the classic relaunch became a template other brands repeated with retro devices. The 3310 itself stayed a niche product — its real value was the attention it generated.