Nokia 3310 with 4G support launched in China: Three features to keep in mind

Nokia 3310 4G is an incremental upgrade over the original Nokia 3310, which was launched in the market last year. Nokia 3310 comes with 4G VoLTE support and runs on Android-based YunOS.

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Nokia 3310 with 4G connectivity and Android-based YunOS is now officially announced in China. We explain what are the new features of the Nokia 3310 4G version.

Nokia 3310 was announced in February 2017 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona by HMD Global. But for many the remastered version of the classic Nokia 3310 handset had one big issue: it was missing 4G LTE connectivity. Nokia 3310, when it was introduced was a 2G only device and without Wi-Fi support. The company did launch a 3G variant of the Nokia 3310 phone, but it was limited to Australia and a few other countries. India, a market where feature phones still dominate, did not see the launch of the Nokia 3310 3G variant.

Now HMD Global has upgraded the Nokia 3310 with 4G connectivity, which will allow users to connect to the internet at much faster speeds. Currently, Nokia 3310 with 4G is only being offered in China and we will have to wait and see if the advanced feature phone makes its official debut in India in the coming days. The Nokia 3310 4G should be seen as a much-needed upgrade over the original Nokia 3310. Here are three features of the Nokia 3310 4G.

Nokia 3310 gets upgraded with 4G LTE

A 4G model of the Nokia 3310 makes a complete sense if you are living in India. With falling data tariffs and cheaper plans, the 4G version will offer much better connectivity. It is already predicted that India will have zero 2G internet subscribers by June 2019, according to a report from CyberMedia Research. All four major telecom players, including Reliance Jio, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea, have substantially reduced data tariffs to boost 4G services in India. Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani believes 4G coverage in India will surpass that of 2G in a year. 4G will become the default standard for internet access in India and it is already happening.

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Nokia 3310 4G can be used as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot device

Nokia 3310 4G variant can be used as a portable Wi-Fi hotspot device to access the internet. Almost every smartphone can work as a Wi-Fi hotspot, allowing sharing of 4G connection to any devices, whether they are laptops, tablets, or a phone. It is a useful feature when you have spotty Wi-Fi connection – and in a country like India, it is even more useful.

Nokia 3310 4G comes with Android-based YunOS

The 4G variant of the Nokia 3310 runs on YunOS, an Android-based operating system from China’s Alibaba Group. It is essentially a forked version of Android. Technically, the OS is capable of running Android apps, such as WhatsApp, Facebook Lite, and YouTube, among others. But for now, it is unknown if or not HMD Global will be selling the Nokia 3310 with YunOS in other parts of the world, including India. The challenge in front of the company is, to make sure the phone natively supports popular applications from day one. With the JioPhone struggling to get third-party apps, HMD Global has a challenging task ahead before the phone gets released in India.

Anuj Bhatia

Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at indianexpress.com who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. Email: anuj.bhatia@indianexpress.com ... Read More