New / old / new Nokia phones..

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wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
Being the hip-and-current consumptive monkey that I am, my phone is a 15-yr old Nokia 6230i.

While this has given astonishingly sterling service (not 15yrs straight, but still), it's starting to get a bit tatty / glitchy and I've been looking at alternatives.

I was intially tempted by the growing market of not-that-smart-phones; with Nokia "re-releasing" a load of "updated" old models (really just taking some visual cues and banging the old name on a totally different product) however these all appear to be more like crippled Android phones rather than true dumb phones.. which seems to be de rigueur in this field.


I've just re-discovered a vintage Nokia 6300 in the draw that used to belong to my ex, and it looks like a really classy little phone for what it is - being thinner, more robust and less plastic-y than the 6230i.. considering it's probably the fat end of 15yrs old too I think the design has aged remarkably well.

9XtDw2kE4%2Fs1600%2FNokia%2B6300%2Bsilver%2Bcolour.jpg



Anyway, I'm going to try and re-flash / re-set it as it's got grotty ancient Virgin branding on the UI and I'd like it clean. How viable this is remains to be seen, however looking on ebay I see you can buy them "new" for about twenty quid - does anyone know the score with this? I've seen that many old Nokia models are still availalbe "new" - is it safe to assume these are still in production for "emerging" markets (like India, for example)..? If so, does anyone know how the quality compares to vintage equivalents?

I'm not sure what generation these phones are (2g or 3g) however I'm aware that these standards are being phased out by 2033 at the latest (with 3g probably this/next yr; 2g should apparently last a bit longer). If not spending a while lot I'm happy to use one for as long as it's got until the plug is pulled.

Is anyone into old Nokias? If I do end up buying one, I'd be interested to hear any recommendations :smile:
 

midlife

Guru
I still use that phone as my morning alarm clock and have done so for about 20 years, never come across another one!!

The charging hole is really small and can be a bit hit and miss on mine.

Just checked, they still make them in 4G

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_gb/nokia-6300-4g?sku=16LIOB01A12
 
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OP
OP
wafter

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
I still use that phone as my morning alarm clock and have done so for about 20 years, never come across another one!!

The charging hole is really small and can be a bit hit and miss on mine.

Just checked, they still make them in 4G

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_gb/nokia-6300-4g?sku=16LIOB01A12

Thanks - glad to hear it's still giving you some service :biggrin:

Ta for the link, but as per my last post I think the only thing the 4G "versions" share with the originals is their name..
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
We bought MIL a new Nokia when we had to move networks for her - was the easiest way as she only understood the Nokia UI, up down, press green ! :whistle:

If that's all you want they are great, and, of course, you'll have a new battery that lasts a week or two. :okay:
 
OP
OP
wafter

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
Cheers all. As per the OP I'm specifically interested in the old / original or re-issued (2g) phones.

It seems the current / re-issued units are made in China with some possible issues resulting from using them in the UK / not nec. their intended market.

That said I've had a play with the 6300 I already have and - miracle of miracles - all the on-phone branding was just the result of a theme added to the phone; so quickly rectified by re-instating one of the originals.

I think it might need a new battery, but other than that it now seems good to go so I might press it into service.. time will tell how I get on as the buttons seem a bit nicer / easier to use on the existing 6230i..
 

classic33

Leg End Member
I've two 2010's, that take the full size SIM card.
Batteries are the problem. It's a DIY replacement job. Battery life is short at present.
 
OP
OP
wafter

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
I've two 2010's, that take the full size SIM card.
Batteries are the problem. It's a DIY replacement job. Battery life is short at present.

Crikey - that's super old school! Thinking back to the old 3210(?), do they have a propriatory battery that's part of the phone case..? Shame if so; all the rest seem to revolve around the standardised, cheap and easy to replace BL-4c and BL-5c...
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Crikey - that's super old school! Thinking back to the old 3210(?), do they have a propriatory battery that's part of the phone case..? Shame if so; all the rest seem to revolve around the standardised, cheap and easy to replace BL-4c and BL-5c...
More Ericsson than Nokia missen.
Ericsson R320
 
I started out on Nokia 2110, a phone that would still make a lot of sense if you could get decent batteries for it. Spent most of my cellular time on Nokias, then eventually ended up a Samsung fanboi. I still have a removeable-battery S5 Neo, running Lineage OS Oreo Android, will be in use as my main cycling MapMyRide device.
 

classic33

Leg End Member
Prompted by you, I just looked it up...
  • Vodafone: starting early 2023
  • EE: early 2024
  • Three: By end of 2024
  • O2: No announcement yet
This is to make way for the superior 4G and 5G.
O2 have their smart meter contracts to comply with.

EE are saying early next year. But the 2G networks will remain in operation for a few years yet.
 
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