The Nokia 8210 has all the features that someone who just wants a nice basic small phone that can send texts and make phone calls would ever need. It also has the time, alarm clock, calculator, text delivery reports, and an Infra Red Port. You can buy one used and SIM Free from either eBay or Amazon (UK, USA and Canada. However, looking at the prices on Amazon and its clear that sellers think the 8210 they are selling is made of solid gold or something. They are going for much much cheaper on eBay UK.
It doesn’t look all that retro when you first look at it, but once you see the green screen you’ll know that the 8210 is old skool. The Nokia 8210 Mobile Phone is quite deceiving though because all you need to replace in order to get an old Nokia 8210 looking new again is a brand new phone cover. There are thousands of different types available, from plain colours like red and yellow, to Union Jack designs, Star Wars, Gothic designs, Reggae designs, the list of designs is endless. Plain original Nokia Fascia housings, such as the black and blue, look the most professional. Red examples are quite nice also.
One of the best things about this phone is its size. It is nice and small even by today's standards. But thinking about it, don’t you think we have gone a bit backwards in terms of mobile phone sizes? I mean, yeah, mobile phones now have more features than ever before, Cameras, Video, Music, thousands of Apps, Operating Systems etc, but in the process of fitting all that technology into a mobile phone, the actual size of the phone itself has increased dramatically.
Nokia 8210 Compared to Smartphones
Have you seen some of the latest mobile phones recently? They are massive! And the battery life of these high-tech phones, don’t even go there. In some ways it’s ridiculous. We seem to have gone backwards in those two areas. Many more features but we have to sacrifice with a huge phone that has a terrible battery life. Obviously, not all phones are this way but the most advanced ones seem to be.
A lot of people, including myself, prefer a phone that is easier to live with. The Nokia 8210 certainly falls into this category. They have the nostalgic factor also. Some Nokia 8210’s were made with dual SIM capability, which basically means they can house two fully operational SIM cards in one phone. The SAR level / rate is between 0.74W/kg – 1 W/kg depending on what source you look at. This SAR level is decent for such an old phone. Most will be unlocked to all networks, and if not, it’s easy to unlock them.
Nokia 8210 Reported Problems
Although most Nokia 8210’s are reliable, and the phone as a whole has great reviews, there have been some reports of a few faults. Occasional screen freezes, jumbled screen text, screen fade, screen sometimes goes off when trying access the menu, and also some reports of speaker / microphone problems. These are all old issues and should be sorted out now, specially if you are buying a refurbished Nokia 8210 off Amazon or eBay. They sell used from anywhere between £10 – £40 in the UK, which is a decent price. There is also a Nokia 8310, which is slightly bigger than this model. See it here.
Other Considerations
Also, due to the 8210 being an older phone, if you’re considering buying a used Nokia 8210 and it doesn’t come with a new battery, it’s recommended that you buy a new one to get the best battery life possible. As you can imagine, using a battery that’s had over a decade of use isn’t going to hold a charge very well. Other than these issues the Nokia 8210 is a great little retro Mobile phone that will serve you well. The Nokia is also more “Big Brother” proof than a lot of the phones produced these days, less easier to track and trace. Overall this is a great little vintage phone for those who don't need, or want all the features that owning a Smartphone offers.
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