Mar 13, 2017 07:39 AM EDT By Mark Spencer, UniversityHerald Reporter

A retailer says demand for the resurrected Nokia 3310 has been astonishing. The retro mobile phone unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) last month has gained so much interest that it is outperforming pre-orders of some high-end smartphones.

Just a week after HMD Global unveiled the Nokia 3310, Carphone Warehouse reported that the Nokia 3310 currently holds 10 times more pre-registration interest than most flagship smartphones introduced at MWC this year, according to Daily Express.

Carphone Warehouse's Andrew Wilson stated that levels of pre-registration for the Nokia 3310 are incredibly strong, which proves that interest in the reimagined classic is not all hype, people do want to get their hands on one, said he.

Banking on nostalgia for the "tank" of a phone, HMD provided the Nokia 3310 a strong backing of practical functionality, which makes it an ideal phone for a variety of users. Robust and affordable, its long battery life would also make it an ideal secondary phone for traveling, or where situations call for simple, no frills texting or phone calls.

The Telegraph reported that in addition to interest in the Nokia 3310's features, Captify's research also indicated a spike in searches for carriers in relation to the retro device. By this development, it is surmised that the spike is an indication of individuals who has strong intent to buy.

According to Dom Joseph, chief executive of Captify, their data shows that people are actively seeking out actual network carriers who might carry the unit. It demonstrates that people who are intending to buy the product ahead of its release are already active in starting to make decisions to which network they will use with the device.

There are of course skeptics for the resurgence of vintage devices given new breath. Nokia 3310 is no exception when HMD Global who holds licenses for the Nokia brand was warned by analysts to not make it a central focus, which might out shadow its more modern offerings.

However, it cannot be denied that what is old is new is taken to a new level by Nokia 3310. Undoubtedly, it was a stunning public relations coup by HMD Global. The analysts might be premature in its analysis since the NES Classic was also given a reboot, but interest in the Nintendo Switch was not dampened one bit.

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