Why did the Nokia old machine 25 years ago become popular again?

The Economic Observer

2024-05-14 14:54Posted on the official account of Beijing Economic Observer

Economic Observer Network reporter Ye Xinran What surprised many people is that Nokia in ancient memories not only did not withdraw from the mobile phone market, but also a mobile phone launched by Nokia in 1999 will become popular again in 2024.

On May 8, Nokia released the new 3210 model. It is understood that the Nokia 3210 is a replica of the Nokia 3210 launched in 1999. In the promotional copy, Nokia deliberately connected this mobile phone with "retro", saying that "the millennium returns, let the new Nokia 3210 bring the memories of Y2K".

"Y2K" is an abbreviation for "Year 2 Kilo", which means 2000, millennium. Y2K is a popular trend culture in recent years, emphasizing color, with psychedelic, technological, and retro as the core.

Nokia 3210 has a total of three colors, and the launch price is 379 yuan. On May 10, Nokia said on Weibo that all three colors of the mobile phone had been out of stock, and then, Nokia said: "The factory production line is sparkling." The robbery will open at 8 p.m. on May 31. ”

On May 14, the reporter noticed in the Nokia Douyin flagship store that more than 22,000 people have made reservations for Nokia 3210, and it will go on sale at 20:00 on May 31. Nokia's JD flagship store has also opened a pre-sale channel.

Compared with the 1999 model, the Nokia 3210 has a larger screen, a thinner body, a built-in 1450mAh battery and 128MB storage space, can connect to 4G networks, and is equipped with a Type-C interface and a 2 million pixel camera. In addition, the machine supports functions such as Himalaya, Migu Music, Alipay, etc., which can realize basic mobile payment and entertainment functions.

At present, the phone has seen a premium in the secondary market. On the second-hand platform Xianyu, many sellers have listed prices of more than 450 yuan, and some even exceed 500 yuan.

Who is popular with Nokia in 2024?

On Xianyu, a number of sellers said in the product introduction that the Nokia 3210 replica camera phone, CCD flat camera, has an ancient atmosphere.

From the interview, it was found that the retro-textured camera function is the reason for the phone's popularity, however, the first people to get their hands on the phone have been dissuaded by the blurry low pixels.

The retro-textured camera function has become popular with CCD cameras. According to the data, the CCD camera (Charge-Coupled Device Camera) is a type of camera that uses a charge-coupled device (CCD) as an image sensor.

More than twenty years ago, CCD cameras were very popular. But with the development of technology and the popularity of smartphones, around 2010, CCD cameras have been obsolete by the times.

However, in the second half of 2022, CCD cameras, once known as "e-waste", suddenly turned red. Compared with mobile phones and SLR cameras, CCD cameras can shoot with a large amount of noise, which can sometimes cause overexposure. What was once considered a disadvantage of CCD cameras is now an advantage, as young people fall in love with photos with a hazy and atmospheric feel. In the first half of 2023, second-hand CCD cameras have risen all the way, and the price of some popular models has increased tenfold in a year, from tens of yuan to 1,000 yuan.

Now, the retro wind brought by CCD cameras has blown back to Nokia phones. On the day of the sale on May 8, Xiao Ai, a post-90s girl who bought Nokia 3210, told reporters that she usually likes to take pictures, and she saw Nokia N8 in Xiaohongshu before taking pictures with a retro film texture, and she has always wanted to try Nokia's old mobile phone, and this time she saw the new Nokia 3210, so I started it.

On social media, it can be found that a large number of consumers have placed orders to try the phone's camera function, and there are also a lot of interested consumers who are looking forward to seeing the phone's photo evaluation.

Nokia also intends to promote the phone's "ambience for photography". On the morning of May 14th, the reporter noticed in the Nokia Douyin live broadcast room that when the anchor introduced other Nokia models, he would emphasize that this model is not inferior to the retro style and atmosphere of Nokia 3210.

However, the first consumers who received the phone have already begun to regret it. At present, Xiao Ai's Nokia 3210 has been transferred to a high school student who wants to buy it at the original price, and this high school student is mainly to prevent the interference of smartphones.

Xiao Ai said that if it is to quit smartphones, this mobile phone can make calls, make payments, record records, take pictures, listen to songs, and this model is a classic, you can consider the original price. But if it is simply for taking pictures, it is not recommended, the photos are very pasty, and the color reproduction is very poor.

Another owner who bought a Nokia 3210 also told reporters that at first he thought the phone was a cheap CCD camera, and he bought it after reading the recommendation of a Douyin blogger. However, when I bought it back, I found that the photo taken with 2 million pixels was very blurry.

A digital blogger told reporters that the demand for this mobile phone was very high, so he bought it back for evaluation. It said that if it is to maintain a mobile phone number or a "student party", you can start it, but if it is to take pictures, it is not recommended, and pixels are not good.

At present, the mainstream mobile phone pixels on the market have reached hundreds of millions of pixels, and the 2 million pixels cannot even be compared with the video doorbell camera, and some doorbell cameras on the market are equipped with 3 million pixels.

Previously, old mobile phones like Nokia were mainly aimed at the elderly and students. In the promotion of various models of Nokia, the elderly machine and student mobile phones are also mainly emphasized. Nowadays, young people who chase retro photography are pouring in, and the "antique machine" has become popular, but when more people have a real photo experience, will Nokia still be popular?

(Xiao Ai's pseudonym)

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