My first phone was a Nokia 5510, and I loved it. That was in no small part due to its iconic changeable covers, allowing this pony-mad girl to alternate between a horse at sunset and zebra stripes.
But aesthetics aside, it was still a remarkable piece of technology at the time. Ringing for a lift from Mum or Dad at the push of a button, texting friends you’d spent all day with at school and spending hours on snake.
Well, get the Nineties on speed dial because Nokia is bringing back those vibes with its new 2660 Flip.
Ironically, it’s aimed largely at an audience who mostly weren’t born when the 5510 was around, instead capitalising on Gen Z’s love of dumb phones, digital detoxes and nostalgia.
And it has those by the bucketload. That satisfying flip phone snap sound with a hint of Motorola Razr? Check. Telephone keypad so messages require far more cognitive effort? 222443322255 (check). A keypad you can operate in the rain and a screen free of fingerprints? Check and check.
But 15 years after the first iPhone and longer still since a Blackberry was a must for any self-respecting fan of The Hills, do we really want to reverse our technological ageing?
Pros
There are plenty of things to like about the 2660 Flip, and if you’re truly after a digital detox, this will fit the bill. Got an itch to go online? The web browser won’t make life easy, so it will be hard to get too absorbed. Find what you want and get out.
Forgot your charger for a weekend away? No more spending an insane amount for a replacement in WHSmith en route, the battery (an actual battery you have to remove to insert a SIM) lasts days and days. Twenty six of them apparently.
For me, the lack of a front camera is one of the highlights, removing pretty much all obligation to take selfies, no matter how momentous the occasion or location.
Need a distraction? Snake isn’t the only game pre-installed, although inexplicably some are in the Games folder, others aren’t – not ideal for someone who scrupulously organises their apps. Many are also paid for, but offer enough free trials to get a feel for them, like Tetris and Crossy Road (aka Nokia Frogger).
And fulfilling its goal as a simple phone, there’s no faulting the call quality, and it has hearing aid compatibility.
Plus, you can hang up by snapping the phone shut, always fun.
Cons
Qwerty, where are you? Going back to a telephone keypad is, honestly, not for me. I swipe type, I simply can’t go back to hitting the same button four times for one letter. It’s not a productive use of time.
The camera is deliberately low-res for a vintage feel, which would be fair enough, but as my laptop didn’t recognise the 2660 and my iPhone couldn’t connect via bluetooth, those retro shots will forever remain within that matt plastic casing.
It also seems selectively dumb, offering a Facebook app but nothing else – which for Gen Z would maintain the digital detox element as they rarely use it, but could lure in others.
And let’s skim past the radio.
The verdict
For users who are truly after a basic ‘dumb’ phone, it does the job. You can call and send messages, play a game while waiting for a train, drop it in the rain and forget to charge it most nights.
And at £64.99, the price tag ensures it is affordable, yet too expensive to become the world’s most conspicuous burner.
But could I go full digital detox with this little pink piece of nostalgia? My addiction to Slack and email means I probably should, but in reality, I won’t be ditching the smartphone any time soon.
The Nokia 2660 is available now in Pop Pink and Lush Green
MORE : Motorola is back with the ‘thinnest flippable smartphone’
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