I think Nokia’s new dumbphones are fun – but they won’t be going in my pocket
Surely the way to digital detox isn't to buy more tech
These three new Nokia brick – sorry, feature – phones are about as far from a typical smartphone as it’s possible to get in 2024. The HMD-built Nokia 215 4G, Nokia 225 4G and Nokia 235 4G aren’t meant to replace the fantastic flagship Westerners use on the daily; they’re for those times when they fancy a digital detox, but still need to stay contactable.
The Nokia 235 4G leads the charge with a 2.8in IPS display and a 2MP rear camera; the Nokia 225 4G drops down to a 2.4in screen and VGA camera; and the Nokia 215 4G steps back up to 2.8in, but doesn’t have any sort of camera at all.
All three use Unisoc T107 chipsets and run the S30+ featurephone operating system. That means the basics, but also Bluetooth support for MP3 playback (just remember to pack a microSD card slot – you won’t get far with the 128MB of built-in storage).
They’ve all got 4G, which is less about speedy browsing and more because the many mobile networks have started shutting down their older 3G equipment. And yes, of course they all play Snake. It’s pretty much illegal for a Nokia featurephone to not have the iconic eat-em-up by this point.
You can snap them up in a bunch of eye-catching colours – Peach, Black and Dark Blue for the 215, Pink and Dark Blue for the 225, and Blue, Black and Purple for the 235.
The best part is the price. The Nokia 215 starts at just £55, while the Nokia 225 will set you back £60. The Nokia 235 climbs to a not-so-wallet-worrying £65. All can be ordered right now from the HMD website. The big question is: should you?
This is going to sound harsh, given I’ve not used ’em yet, but I care too much about photography to entrust a £65 potato with my precious memories. If I want my pics to have Y2K vibes, I’m sure there’s a filter or app for that. I’d rather spend the same sort of cash on a portable power bank and keep using my normal phone – which also has a comprehensive set of digital wellbeing tools if I want to set limits on social media.
The camera-less Nokia 215 would probably be my pick of the three, but even then I’m left scratching my head.
Sure, these Nokias have removable batteries, so you could feasibly carry a few spares and put off the inevitable trip to a wall socket. I’m sure standby time will be stellar, too. But they’re all rated for about ten hours of talk time – if you’re actually using these phones, they won’t last significantly longer than a smartphone.
For other markets, where phones are costly and wages are low, they make much more sense. Or if you’re looking to go all-in for your next 90s club night, though, then have at it.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
