Hi all,
@juho recently posted on Twitter asking which retro, "originals" Nokia phone HMD should make next? We have had the new 3310, the new 8110 4G, but what next? Please post your suggestions below and I hope that
@matteo.m or
@maria.03 can gather them and share with Juho.
My suggestions:
- Nokia Communicator! But rather than fold-out, use the horizonal slide-and-tilt mechanism from the E7 and N950.
- Asha! By this I mean the models with a QWERTY keyboard on the front, no sliding mechanism.
Cheers

Comments
They should revive the ASHA brand with some unique phones and not just remake some legacy devices. I love what they did with the Nokia 3310 but didn't like what happened with the Nokia 8110.
*I forgot to mention an important point after the 2nd point of my previous comment. 😅 As more young gen knows about the ASHA brand it will be easier to connect with them which HMD is currently trying.
BTW I did mention Flip phones above. Yes, 2720 could be coming soon most probably powdered by KaiOS and with support for 4G just like the Nokia 8110 4G. Will they include a secondary display too? 🤔 That would be a pricey feature phone. 😅
The idea of the companion phone can be done in a better way and it is done in India where you will find many dumb phones that connect to smartphones via Bluetooth and act as a secondary device (they are cheap to buy 😆). That palm was way to overpriced and i don't see it pick up even in the US. A very few people would be interested in such possibilities and that is a niche segment. Nokia can do that with their upcoming flip phone as it xould be that one more added advantage to buy that phone for those who aren't Nokia fans and are interested in a companion device.
If someone needs to cut the cord then I feel Nokia 220 4G is the perfect phone. 😁
S40 would be a very good option if it returns but I doubt it will happen. I myself have said this many times and I like S40 for its snappiness and ability to run on extremely less powerful hardware.
The uses of feature phones which you shared are more like of a primary phone that one will use and there are not many who would be scanning a QR Code on a feature phone. Yes, smart feature phones are on the rise and this could be made available on those devices along with various messaging apps like WhatsApp, etc. I am not sure if banks would be ready to make apps for feature phones so I won't comment on that.
You said it would be difficult to for you to use Nokia 105 as a messenger phone. But the Nokia 105 is not a messenger device. It is just made with Calls and SMS in mind. A very basic feature phone that sells for less than 1000INR here in India. Now, if we go back in time when Nokia made S40 based feature phones you will find that Nokia also made Nokia 105 like devices running on S30 OS which were priced lower and had fewer features as compared to the S40 devices. So, features come at a price and for 1000INR you can only get a Nokia 105.
I agree that some Nokia feature phones sell for higher prices like the Nokia 216, Nokia 230 and these devices use S30+ OS. These are the devices which should be given a software treatment and I agree with you that Nokia Mobile should use a better OS that is usable and supports some apps and has its own little app store.
If we look at the feature phone market there are only two well-known brands which are still in the world feature phone market and those two are Nokia and Samsung. If Samsung pushes this segment with one good smart feature phone and starts marketing then it would be a lot difficult for Nokia to fight. They should definitely start pushing this segment and make their own space where others will follow them.
Now tell me this. Did you disagree with me because I said Nokia 220 4G is a perfect phone? 😅
What you want from a premium feature phone is not possible. Using Ceramic and other such premium materials on a feature phone would unnecessarily increase its cost and very few would be interested in such phones. Regarding SMS banking it is possible on any type of feature phone (at least here in India) and the same for Vodafone m-Pesa.
I don't understand why do you bring Timex and Swatch products to compare to a phone. Those are watches and it is much easier to change their designs as compared to phones. And even if they made it possible I don't know how many would really be interested in changing the faceplates of their phone. They are trying something similar with Xpress-On covers on smartphones and it would be nice to see on feature phones too where we can fully change the phone housing ourselves like old devices. But very few will be interested in this.
They should make a Qwerty feature phone like the Nokia Asha 210 which you mentioned. Another was the Nokia Asha 205 which was priced lower than 210. Rumours say they might be introducing 3 new feature phones at their upcoming event and two of those could be the Nokia 110 and Nokia 2720 Fold. I feel both will be 4G handsets where 2720 will be a premium feature phone and Nokia 110 could turn out to be the younger brother of Nokia 220 4G.
What they can do is use aluminium battery covers like on Nokia X2-00. Even I or most Nokia Fans wouldn't like to pay a hefty amount for a feature phone when a smartphone can be bought for less than the price of that feature phone. Now if the feature phone really brings something usable on the software part it would be a completely different thing but still, I feel anything above 4000 INR (56USD) is too much for a feature phone in 2019.
Most people avoid ultra cheaper due to rubbish experiences.
Of it can by moulded like plastic then it could be made faster. But what about the cost of the material itself?
Nokia 501 was a good feature phone but wasn't a premium one. Nokia 515 was a premium feature phone made out of aluminium and also was the last true Nokia feature phone before D&S division was sold that device was launched in India for 10k INR and only a limited few were sold. 😊
Still want a decent phone as mentioned above where software features can be added / removed. Still would like some basic customisation as Moto G3 got some time ago or be allowed to select own case colour, etc from Nokia range without having to buy extra covers.
Yes ceramic mic would be a bit more expensive as a material than plastic but we were talking about adding that type of option to a premium range phone so the price would reflect the added build cost. Customisation would also be a small extra on medium range phones (not cheaper end).
I too would prefer a feature phone with an app store with basic apps like WhatsApp available for the phone. You can choose one colour from a variety of colours Nokia phones come in. I don't think it is really beneficial to bring an online customisation service for feature phones.
But who would buy a feature phone worth 10k INR or more than 100 pounds or around $175USD? I don't see a market for this. Instead, bring a new smartphone lineup with a different OS like Sailfish. It would be much appreciated by many and also won't be a thing to joke about.
seems strange that Nokia will allow you to demo before buying game loft games but you can’t add feature phone style apps available across the feature phone range or add tunes or wallpapers.
Why would this need a phone costing big bucks? You could do this with 3310 or 220 4g if the OS allowed. Add a few colour options to buy online (choice of keypad colours / front / back case colours from current parts).
why would this be so expensive?
So you would go to the online store and either choose the stock phone of your choice or click custom. Select your form factor, next option choose colour options ( case front and back, keypad), then click from a list of added software features ( basics would automatically be on the phone- contacts, sms etc.). Then see your creation. Click add to basket and pay a bit extra for the customisation (£5 - £10). Delivery to your door. What’s not to like? No mega costs as options are already in production from default models.
It would be expensive because it is being customised as per your liking. Phones are made in factories on a dedicated assembly line which just makes that phone. And to customize keypads and faceplates of phone they need to do it separately which is time-consuming. So HMD will increase the price. Nokia 515 was sold for 115 Euros back in 2013.
Already mentioned Motorola did this customisation for the Moto G3 and another model some time ago before Lenovo took over. They charged £10 for the privilege. I still have my G3 somewhere. If that’s too difficult for Nokia why not do a Lego style pick and mix at stores and roadshows where the customer buys a phone and goes round to pick and assemble their own phone. Bit like build-a-bear. No labour costs there just need the components. If that’s still too difficult do an Airfix kit style phone where you select the bits which is sent to you and you assemble the case and keypad yourself (use a rubber style one piece keypad as of old Nokia’s). Then download the extra features you want from ovi. Bit like a Raspberry Pi kit. Surely Nokia could sort out something as they are able to supply xpression covers to customers this is taking it one step more. All hardware atmain structure is the same so no issues with parts working or not and click on covers were available from Nokia decades ago. Surely the advances in Nokia factories today are more like Amazon supply chains. You can order almost anything you like from the Chinese factories from Alibaba but just have to wait 3 weeks so why can’t Nokia put customer orders to similar factories around their own supply chains?