Will Nokia 3310, Darago 3310, Micromax X1i-2017 make feature phones cool again?
The world of technology does not dwell in the past and it's evident when you look at the pace at which smart phones are updated. However, Nokia 3310 has turned things around.
- May 23, 2017,
- Updated May 23, 2017 3:56 PM IST
The world of technology does not dwell in the past and it's evident when you look at the pace at which smart phones are updated. However, Nokia 3310 has turned things around. A company that went from being the top phone manufacturer in the world to almost nothing made a comeback as spectacular as its fall.
Though, Nokia is under an independent Finnish company, HMD Global, the brand still retains the nostalgic value and while many are calling it a marketing tactic, it has brought the brand back to life. Using Nokia's brand value and general sense of nostalgia that comes along with the tag, the company is even reviving the feature phone market which hasn't seen much growth in recent years, especially when compared to the smartphone market.
Also read: Nokia's three new 'Unknown heart' phones leaked on Geekbench
The launch of Nokia's 3310 got the tech-world's attention which was otherwise preoccupied by new smartphones. Few companies, wanting to cash-in on the trend, launched similar looking devices at almost half the price or even lesser. A phone by a company named Darago, uses the same colour scheme, form factor and even the same model number of Nokia 3310, but is available at a price of just Rs 799.
Another device by Micromax, X1i-2017 has a resemblance with the new version of Nokia 3310. Though both these companies have a separate line-up of feature phones, they decided to use Nokia's sudden surge in popularity. The Darago 3310 is already out of stock on Flipkart.
Does this mean feature phones are making a comeback?
The introduction of a feature phone that was initially launched in the year 2000, has brought the limelight back on the product segment.
India is still the biggest feature phone market in the world, according to JP Morgan . The country claims 30 per cent of the global feature phone market. According to the U.S. multinational banking company, there will be no slump in the growth of feature phones in the year 2017.
Another research published by Strategy Analytics reports that global feature phone shipments reached 396 million units in 2016. Nokia, under HMD Global, reserved a marketshare of 9 per cent, second only to Samsung that was able to get 13.2 per cent of the entire feature phone market share.
The smartphone market is sure growing by leaps and bounds, but India's feature phone market is still the biggest in the world. These phones make more sense in the rural setup where internet is still a luxury.
Though feature phones can't replace smartphones in terms of productivity, they still offer basic services like calling and texting at a nominal price. If network providers like Reliance Jio manage to build 4G-capable feature phones at the same price point, these tiny phones with monster batteries are sure to make a comeback, even in metro cities.
The device was launched last week and is available for sale only via offline outlets. Though the smartphone market is growing by leaps and bounds, India still has many feature phone users. These phones make more sense in the rural setup where internet is still a luxury.
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The world of technology does not dwell in the past and it's evident when you look at the pace at which smart phones are updated. However, Nokia 3310 has turned things around. A company that went from being the top phone manufacturer in the world to almost nothing made a comeback as spectacular as its fall.
Though, Nokia is under an independent Finnish company, HMD Global, the brand still retains the nostalgic value and while many are calling it a marketing tactic, it has brought the brand back to life. Using Nokia's brand value and general sense of nostalgia that comes along with the tag, the company is even reviving the feature phone market which hasn't seen much growth in recent years, especially when compared to the smartphone market.
Also read: Nokia's three new 'Unknown heart' phones leaked on Geekbench
The launch of Nokia's 3310 got the tech-world's attention which was otherwise preoccupied by new smartphones. Few companies, wanting to cash-in on the trend, launched similar looking devices at almost half the price or even lesser. A phone by a company named Darago, uses the same colour scheme, form factor and even the same model number of Nokia 3310, but is available at a price of just Rs 799.
Another device by Micromax, X1i-2017 has a resemblance with the new version of Nokia 3310. Though both these companies have a separate line-up of feature phones, they decided to use Nokia's sudden surge in popularity. The Darago 3310 is already out of stock on Flipkart.
Does this mean feature phones are making a comeback?
The introduction of a feature phone that was initially launched in the year 2000, has brought the limelight back on the product segment.
India is still the biggest feature phone market in the world, according to JP Morgan . The country claims 30 per cent of the global feature phone market. According to the U.S. multinational banking company, there will be no slump in the growth of feature phones in the year 2017.
Another research published by Strategy Analytics reports that global feature phone shipments reached 396 million units in 2016. Nokia, under HMD Global, reserved a marketshare of 9 per cent, second only to Samsung that was able to get 13.2 per cent of the entire feature phone market share.
The smartphone market is sure growing by leaps and bounds, but India's feature phone market is still the biggest in the world. These phones make more sense in the rural setup where internet is still a luxury.
Though feature phones can't replace smartphones in terms of productivity, they still offer basic services like calling and texting at a nominal price. If network providers like Reliance Jio manage to build 4G-capable feature phones at the same price point, these tiny phones with monster batteries are sure to make a comeback, even in metro cities.
The device was launched last week and is available for sale only via offline outlets. Though the smartphone market is growing by leaps and bounds, India still has many feature phone users. These phones make more sense in the rural setup where internet is still a luxury.
For Unparalleled coverage of India's Businesses and Economy – Subscribe to Business Today Magazine