The nostalgic Nokia 3310 is back

In this age of ‘smart’, it is rare that the launch of a ‘dumb’ feature phone makes a splash in the tech circles. But that is what happened with the recent launch of the classic and iconic Nokia 3310. The phone that featured in Time magazine’s list of ‘The 50 most influential gadgets of all time’ made a comeback at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. Many of us remember owning the phone and rather lovingly appreciate the simplicity of the times and unbeatable battery life it offered.

So if you are sick of being distracted with the constant notifications from your smartphone and long for simpler times, go and buy this iconic phone at approximately US$52.

The phone retains the form and structure of the original 3310 but has a refresh, which makes it come across as a cool, fun device. It features a 2.4-inch, 240x320 pixel screen (yeah, please don’t compare it with HD or QHD screens that today’s smartphones come with) and comes in four cheerful and bright colours and feels light in the hand.

The phone might not have the bells and whistles of your iPhone but it does have something that your new iPhone does not have—the humble 3.5mm headphone jack. Nokia 3310 also sports a MicroSD card slot. The camera is just a two megapixel one and the phone works with 2G internet (yup, no WiFi). It has got a new UI and it comes with a Dual SIM version.

So all those who want to go back to the bare necessities, this is for you.

LG launches flagship G6

Alongside the launch of the king of feature phones, Mobile World Congress also saw the launch of the LG G6, which wants to be the king of smartphones.

G5, LG’s flagship from last year, failed to make a mark but was appreciated for its innovative modular system. Ironically, it did not resonate with consumers and the phone did not see much uptake.

But G6 is a phone that seems to have impressed everyone with its top-of-the-line specs and thoughtful design. The phone features a stunning display that is different from almost every other smartphone screen in terms of the aspect ratio. It has a 5.7-inch, 2880x1440 pixel screen, which means a 2:1 display ratio. Almost every other phone has a 16:9 aspect ratio. This means you get more screen in a smaller body. It is tall and snugly fits in your hand. The phone is also IP68 water-resistant and has a USB Type-C port for charging.

In the camera department, the phone shines. It features two cameras (wide angle and normal) like many other flagship phones but some image stabilisation magic ensures great photo quality. You can shoot 4K at up to 60fps, which is pretty awesome to experience on a phone. The now non-removable battery has been bumped up to 3,300mAh.

On the software front, the phone will be driven by Android Nougat-based new LG UX 6.0, and it will be the first phone to feature Google Assistant.

All in all, an impressive and thoughtfully engineered phone that has the potential to change LG’s fortunes in the mobile device market.