The retro revival of old mobile brands was kicked off last year when Nokia relaunched the 3310. Now, people who want to invest in a vintage handset to go alongside their modern smartphone will have not one, but two new options in 2018.
Nokia 8110 Reborn
When the movie The Matrix was released in 1999, it not only rewrote the book on special effects, but also made the Nokia 8110 an instant global hit. Its spring-loaded cover for the keypad was a big selling point, making answering a call look eminently cool. Now a re-make of this iconic model has been proposed, which brings the spirit of the original into the 21st century. The design is intended to emulate its predecessor, with a curved profile making it fit nicely in the hand and earning it comparisons with a banana. There is also the same snap-down keypad cover, which is sure to be a hit with people who remember the first phone, as well as youngsters who just enjoy its classic aesthetics. Like the revamped 3310, the 2018 edition of the Nokia 8110 will be sold at a bargain basement price point, which will make it affordable enough to act as a backup handset. So if you need to make a claim on your iPhone insurance after something goes wrong with your Apple handset, having the new 8110 to hand will let you get in on the retro vibe without having to ditch your smartphone for good. Other perks, aside from the 4G connectivity, include the promise of a battery that is big enough to provide several days of use from a single charge, a modest two megapixel camera with flash on the rear and 4GB of storage for media files.
Palm Pre Revisited
Although lost to the mists of time, Palm was once an early innovator in the smartphone market. The flagship Pre handset competed directly against the second-gen iPhone for supremacy almost a decade ago. In 2018, rumours reported by Android Police suggest that Palm could be making a return to the marketplace after having crashed out when the Pre failed to meet sales expectations. As with Nokia, its revival will be achieved with the help of an outside firm, in this case TCL, meaning the licensing of its branding is all that is needed to bring it back from the dead. The best cheap phone insurance will still be able to cover whatever Palm-branded smartphone does result from the apparent deal that has been struck. Like the 8110, the Pre also had a physical keypad, which could make a return of its own if this trend continues. The Pre harks back to a time before Android was the main rival to Apple’s iOS, with its multitasking-focused webOS software helping it to manage multiple apps long before the iPhone could come close to offering such features. Of course, 2009 is a lot more recent than 1999, so people with good mobile phone insurance could still have their original Palm Pre in full working order. The lack of ongoing support for the software will have persuaded a lot of users to jump ship, but if this brand does return to the smartphone market, then it will give fans a chance to rekindle their interest.