Nokia 3310 might actually come to the US
The retro phone may be get updated to work with US carriers, hints an FCC filing.
It was a sad day when we found out that the Nokia 3310 was definitely not coming to the US. In fact, the retro feature phone that we're stupidly excited about uses 2G and is only available in some markets, like the UK and countries throughout Africa and the Middle East. But the company that makes the phone may have figured out a way to bring it Stateside after all.
A recent FCC application filed by HMD Global, which licenses the Nokia brand for phones, describes a 3G device with the model number TA-1036. Since this closely resembles the Nokia 3310's model number (TA-1030) it is suspected to be a 3G variant of the phone. The Nokia 3310 would need to match up to carrier's 3G networks in order to work in the US.
Additionally, TA-1036's dimensions line up with those of the 3310. Since the Nokia 3310 is unique in its size and shape, this could be an additional clue.
The FCC is a US organization, so filing an application with it could signal a US release. That fits with what HMD's global head of marketing, Patrick Mercanton, told CNET.
"It's not that we're not not launching in the US," Mercanton said at the time. "It's that the US takes a little bit longer to ramp up."
The Nokia 3310 for 2017 is a remastered version of the lovable and indestructible Nokia 3310 from 2000. After buying the Nokia name from Microsoft, HMD needed a way to bring the Finnish brand back into the public conscious. It worked. The announcement whipped up enormous, largely nostalgic interest in those who had a cellphone at the turn of the millennium.
If HMD really does plan to launch a version of the iconic 3310 for the US, August 16 would be one possible time. The company is rumored to launch the high-end Android Nokia 8 in London that day.
But given how the 3310 completely overtook the Nokia 6 , Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 in fan excitement, HMD may be better off holding back the 3310 for its own US announcement.
HMD Global did not respond to a request for comment.