Dion from the dgui blog has written a retrospective article charting the development of Nokia mobile phone design throughout the last ten years. Turning back the hands of time, Dion has gone back to the future and unearthed some hidden gems and vintage styles.
Dedicating a decade of mobile phone design to the various Nokia handsets that have evolved through time, here we have a compiled list charting some of the weirdest and most wonderful Nokia models to have graced the palms of people the world over.
To get to grips with such an eclectic range of handsets, we’re not going down the chronological route, but selecting and grouping our favourite models for their shapes, functions and features.
It seems sensible though, to start with the Asha 300 & 303 models – the youngest and most recent phones on the dgui list. The opinions here are varied; the 300 ‘attractive, yet weird’ and the 303 ‘modern and original’. But this is nothing compared to some of the other designs below!
Nokia 5510 via dgui
Bearing in mind the 303 features a QWERTY keypad, it’s fascinating to look at some other QWERTY comparisons from years gone by such as the X5-01, then rewind a whole decade and look at the Nokia 5510, a phone that was:
“Way ahead of its time when you consider the fact that it had a 5 row QWERTY keyboard that was only used for SMSs”
The 5510 packed a whole lot more under the hood too, such as; MP3 playback/recording and 5 pre-loaded games, including the legendary Snake II.
Perhaps the most visually interesting handsets here are the more circular selection of phones Dion has looked at. Turn the clock back to 2004 and you’ve got the Nokia 7710 – a kind of oblong/rectangular shape with some sumptuous curves, more akin to the look and feel of a Formula 1 car steering wheel than a mobile phone. Sporting a 1MP camera and resistive touch capability it was an awesome thing to behold seven years ago.
via liewcf
We could imagine James Bond being the proud owner of the Nokia 7600 at one time or another. It looks like a space age eye, the screen resembling the eye ball sitting in the centre, the body not quite circular but boasting some bespoke curvature. The unorthodox button layout surrounds the phone screen on either side, rather like the Nokia 3650 which also has full circle keypad.
via logomanager
Then you’ve got the super quirky Nokia 3250 from 6 years ago, with a keyboard that:
“You could twist around and reveal dedicated music keys from the back”
The 7370 has a similar function, with a sliding cover that can twist round a whole 180 degrees to reveal the keypad underneath. Sporting some ornate patterning, it was a model for those itching for a bit more decoration on their handset, a bit like the futuristic 7500 – a model that comes from 2008, but could easily be from 2080, with a 14mm textured body surface made of jet black prisms shapes.
via newtelepon
We think you’ll agree that Dion has given Nokia designs from the past ten years a really thorough going over. He’s revisited some of the most innovative and forward thinking mobile phone designs of the past and it’s great to look back and see how design has changed and adapted over the years. From the Nokia 5510 to the N-gage, the Nokia 7280 to the Asha 303, there’s something for everyone.
Which design is your favourite? Let us know @Nokia_Connects.
tahsin
Dec 6th, 2011 at 18:41 pm
my favorite is the N900 – “Geeky”! xD
Davor
Dec 6th, 2011 at 21:19 pm
I still have the 7600. It is fabulous. Have to repair the screen though…
madusha
Dec 7th, 2011 at 09:02 am
Nokia 7380 ! The difficult to use, but beautiful to look at phone.
Junaid
Mar 5th, 2012 at 19:11 pm
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elrond
Dec 7th, 2011 at 09:15 am
The Nokia 9210 Communicator. I still have mine. I use my Nokia N97, but I really loved my communicator.
murph
Dec 7th, 2011 at 13:42 pm
i remember the days i had my nokia 7600.good old days.phone was so sleek i always talked about it
Miff
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Andy
Mar 7th, 2012 at 07:54 am
Wow! I’m so glad you wrote this article I got my first phone when I was 14 (won it in a cestont). Since cell phones weren’t everywhere at that point (2002), my parents didn’t understand why I needed one (I didn’t to be honest) and my dad took it for himself.When I was 16, my dad bought a new phone and gave me back the old one. I was only allowed to make phone calls I would have to pay my parents 0.06$ for every text that I sent (plus whatever ring tones, games I had downloaded etc). When I was 18, I bought my own cell phone since I was tired of paying so much for texts and my parents refused to upgrade my plan.My brother got my hand-me-down cell phone and manages to get an upgraded cell phone every year (his best reason is that a car ran over it but it was an accident, he swears!). He has a full-out package of calls, texts, internet etc. all footed by my parents. Everytime my brother’s cell phone is mentioned my dad flips out but to my mom, he’s her little boy and she wants him to have nice things Vanessa recently posted..
ivar
Dec 8th, 2011 at 17:27 pm
Was my firs phone liked it and like it now too because of nice rubber covering.
Prasenjit Bist
Dec 10th, 2011 at 09:32 am
I love all nokia phones but Nokia 3220, Nokia 6600,
Nokia 3230, Nokia 73, Nokia N95 (The best mobile phone ever it changed the definition of converged devices),
Nokia N8( redefined mobile photography) and Nokia Lumia 800( redefined wat it means to be mobile, stylish and making a statement).
The credit goes to Nokia, the talented designers R7D engineers and every one at Nokia.
Henry.C
Dec 12th, 2011 at 12:52 pm
Great to hear all your thoughts guys! Always fun to rewind and look back at past Nokia models. Remember to keep up to date with everything happening @Nokia_Connects !
johan
Dec 26th, 2011 at 22:19 pm
i loved the nokia ngage qd and the 8910i