Nokia's iconic Banana phone from 'The Matrix' launches in India
What's the story
The iconic Nokia Banana phone that starred in 'The Matrix' 19 years ago has officially landed in India. No, not the original Nokia 8110, but its retro-classic version brought back to life by HMD Global. It was unveiled earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress with modern-software capabilities and has been priced at Rs. 5,999 in India. Here's a sneak peek.
Design
Key highlight: The curved body with intuitive slider
Just like the original Banana phone, the new one also comes with a curved form factor and a slider that can be used to answer/end calls. The polycarbonate shell of the device comes in traditional all-black and yellow color variants and sports a 2.45-inch QVGA display (240x320 pixels) that fits well in the curved chassis. Notably, it is IP-52 rated.
Internals, Camera
Dual-core processor under the hood, 2MP rear camera
Nokia 8110 promises a decent feature phone experience with a dual-core Snapdragon 205 chip clocked at 1.1GHz. It pairs up with 512 RAM and 4GB internal storage, with support for expansion up to 32GB via microSD card. You also get a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera with an LED flash, but no front-facing shooter.
Software
Preloaded with KaiOS; Improved Snakes game experience
On the software front, the Banana phone comes with KaiOS, which is the operating system running on the famous Jio Phone. It comes with a designated apps store and supports WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google Assistant, Search, Maps. You can send/receive emails, import contacts, and even play a revamped version of 'Snakes' game on the device.
Connectivity
4G support with dual SIM option
That said, it is also worth noting that users will get all major connectivity options on the Banana phone, including Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.1, and 4G LTE. The phone comes with two SIM slots (micro+Nano) and even lets users create a Wi-Fi hotspot. There's also a 3.5mm audio jack and micro-USB 2.0 port for charging the phone's 1,500 mAh battery.
Pricing, Availability
Where you can buy it?
Internationally, the Banana phone has been priced at about $97 or Rs. 6,800, but in India, it will retail at Rs. 5,999. The phone will be available from October 24 via Nokia's own online store, offline retail partners, and Flipkart. As part of the launch offer, HMD Global has partnered with Jio to offer an additional 544GB of 4G data.