Nokia’s banana phone from The Matrix is back

Back in 1999, Keanu Reeves was famous for playing Neo in The Matrix, and not for looking sad on a bench. Nokia was also the “world’s leading mobile phone supplier” back then, and it used this popularity to feature its Nokia 8110 “banana phone” in The Matrix film. At the time everyone who considered themselves cool (definitely me) wanted a Nokia phone just like Neo’s, but most of us had to settle for the Nokia 7110 with its spring-loaded slider.
 
Now HMD, makers of Nokia-branded phones, is bringing the Nokia 8110 back to life as a retro classic. Just like the Nokia 3310 that was a surprise hit at Mobile World Congress last year, the 8110 plays on the same level of nostalgia. The slightly curved handset has a slider that lets you answer and end calls, and HMD is creating traditional black and banana yellow versions.
 
The Nokia 8110 runs on the Smart Feature OS, so this is a basic featurephone and you’re not going to get access to the Android apps found on other Nokia Android smartphones. However, HMD is creating an app store for the device, which will include Facebook so there’s a chance other third parties might create their own apps for this.
 
Unlike the 3310, the 8110 will ship with LTE support across Europe, with dual-SIM versions available too. Inside there’s a Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform processor, 512MB of RAM, and 4GB of storage. While the banana phone looks big in pictures, it’s relatively small with just a 2.4-inch QVGA display and a 2-megapixel camera at the rear. You’ll even get access to a revamped Snake game, and an impressive 25 days of battery standby.
 
The Nokia 8110 will be available in May for just 79 euros ($97).

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