Nokia brings back banana phone from 'The Matrix'
Nokia once again banks on nostalgia as it brings back the iconic banana phone popularized by the 1999 movie "The Matrix."
Following the surprise hit of the Nokia 3310 revival at the 2017 Mobile World Congress, the now HMD-owned Nokia brand is bringing back another retro hit — 8110 4G. The retro phone was announced at the 2018 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
The so-called banana phone was first launched in 1996 but it was Keanu Reeves who made it iconic after using it in his hit movie, which came at a time when Nokia was the "world's leading mobile phone supplier." The 8110 unit was also a highly-coveted item back then, with Nokia describing it as the "first of its kind in terms its ergonomics."
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The 8110 4G is a slightly curved handset with the old-time slider that lets users answer or end calls. The one featured in "The Matrix" was a black unit fit for lead character Neo but now, it also comes in bright yellow to give justice the phone's "banana" nickname.
The 2.4-inch QVGA display screen is a bit small for the usual tasks one does on big screen smartphones. It is just a basic feature phone after all and will not have access to the usual applications found in other Nokia phones. HMD, however, explained that the phone will have its own store for basic apps like Facebook. Soon, third parties could start creating their own apps made specifically for the 8110.
The phone comes with a 2-megapixel camera, FM radio and everyone's favorite Snake game. It uses 1,500 mAh battery, but requires only little energy as compared to more modern smartphones. This means it could last up to 25 days on a single charge.
The banana phone will run on a Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform processor and will have 512 MB of random access memory (RAM) and 4 GB of storage. It will ship across Europe with LTE support and will be available in dual-SIM versions.
The Nokia 8110 4G will be available starting May for just 79 euros or $97.
