Nokia 8110 4G review

Design and controls

Like we already mentioned, the Nokia 8110 4G is quite a stand-out device. You can expect to get more than a few puzzled and intrigued looks in most smartphone-obsessed western crowds. The yellow variant is particularly eye-catching, but even our nondescript black unit had trouble flying under the radar.

Starting from the front of the device, the 2.4-inch, TFT display is another remnant of a bygone era. Though, this one that doesn't necessarily bring up warm feelings of nostalgia. To think that at one point or another I have browsed the internet played games and watched movies on a panel of similar size and quality on the Nokia N95.

Anyway, the overall curvature of the body dives off the impression that the panel is curved as well. That's not the case. It's an optical illusion, which takes its toll on the upper few rows of the panel. Since those seem to have a bit more air between them and the front glass. In case you were wondering, the rest of the panel is not fully laminated either. The air gap is something you just have to learn to live with.

On to the main attraction - the numerical keyboard. But before that - the slider that covers it. The biggest let-down here, of course, being the lack of a spring-loaded mechanism. Raun Forsyth, Head of Design at HMD actually addressed the matter when the Nokia 8110 4G was released and gave a few reasons as to why a more advanced slider wasn't employed, although a few such options were, indeed considered.

The main reason - cost. This is also likely the culprit behind the non-touch panel. Plus, the matter of complexity. HDM wanted to keep the phone as cheap, accessible and simple as possible. Plus, the original 8110 didn't really have a spring-loaded slider either.

Regardless of whether it is spring loaded or not, we do feel like HMD could have done a better job crafting this one. It's quite stiff and uncomfortable to operate. Instead of offering a fluent motion, it gets stuck along the entire range of motion. That's likely due to the simple plastic rubbing against plastic. We wish HMD had taken some pointers from devices like the Nokia 8800 Sirocco instead. Now that was a slider which you can enjoy.

The E.161(ITU-T) keyboard is no prize-winner either. The buttons are very stiff, have little to no travel and feel very mushy. Still, with a bit of training, you could manage to type at a reasonable speed. Navigating around the menus, however, is nearly impossible and a constant chore, because the directional pad has all the bad characteristics of the other buttons, but is also impossibly tiny. Pressing up and down is possible with a nail. Pressing the left and right directions, however, almost always results in pressing the back key or the answer one. The inconsistent nature of KaiOS navigation doesn't really help the user experience either. But more on that later.

The sides of the device are mostly empty, except for a power button on the right-hand side. It is of little practical use, considering the slider covers all the controls anyway and it also unlocks the phone. Still, it's there if you need to power down the Nokia 8110 4G.

The bottom only houses a small hole for a microphone. At first glance, this is a horrible location, since the extended slider stands right between your mouth ant the hole. Upon closer inspection, it might actually be for a secondary noise-cancelling unit, since there is another, much more-thoughtfully place microphone hole under the keypad.

The top of the phone has the 3.5mm audio jack as well as the micro USB. Besides charging, it can also be used to transfer data to and from a computer. However, the option does need to be turned on in the phone settings.

The back of the Nokia 8110 4G is one single piece of curved plastic, complete with cut-outs for the camera, flash and the single speaker. Snapping it off, to reveal the removable battery and a couple of slots is also an instant throwback to a simpler time in mobile phone design. Inside, the power pack is nicely protected and so are the one or two SIM slots (of the older micro-SIM variety) and right next to that - the microSD slot. The Nokia 8110 4G does come with a decent 4GB amount of storage (no relation to the name). Still, if you plan on using it as a music player, investing in some extra storage might be a good option.

Materials and durability

We might be going off stereotypes here, but it's our understanding that most feature phone buyers have pretty high durability expectations towards their devices. Historically, this is a pretty justifiable assumption to make, especially given the ongoing fixation with glass construction in the smartphone realm.

We've always defended plastic as a viable material for phone construction, which has a certain list of advantages of its own. For instance, the Nokia 8110 4G feels very solid and well put together. The parts that need structural stability, like the frame and the slider are made thick enough so that the plastic is really strong. The back side is crafted a bit thinner to allow for some flex, but not too much - it's just the perfect amount to be able to take in off and snap it back on, without damaging the clips. HMD did its homework well, borrowing from the extensive historical experience on the matter. We also appreciate the addition of an official IP52 drip protection rating.

Even so, however, we have some serious concerns with the overall durability of the Nokia 8110 4G. Most of these have to do with aesthetics. As hard as the plastics are, the particular ones, used by HMD here are very prone to scratches and scuffs. After only a couple of days of pocket use, the back of the phone started showing visible glossy spots, where the mat finish had worn off. Also, scratches can be made even with nails.

The glossy ring, that surrounds the display enclosure on left, right and top sides seems particularly vulnerable to scratches. While these won't really affect the usability of the device, it quickly looses its presentable appearance and becomes a mess of scratches and spots.

Worse still, the glass, covering the display, appears to be a simple glass material and is also easily scratched. We don't know about you, but living with a scuffed up body is one thing, trying to deal with a scratched-up, reflective display - a whole other. Cases are also not really an option for the Nokia 8110 4G, or at least we don't know of any. If you want to keep it looking fresh, your best bet might be a soft pouch, with all the retro chic that comes with it.