<<<MOBILE GENERATION>>>

History

The history of the Nokia mobile phone, from inception through the present day, will be examined here. The focus will be on the products, innovations, and technology that were developed by Nokia during this period.

Early history

The mobile phone history really began with the Swedish company Soren Säve who manufactured the radio phone GSM-1 in the early 1980s. This phone was sold to the American operator AT&T in 1987. The Säve Model A was later used to demonstrate the ability to combine a mobile phone and a pager together into one single device.

Nokia's first two mobile phones, the Nokia 110 and Nokia 1011, were produced by competing Finnish companies in the early 1980s.

The first Nokia mobile phone, the Nokia 1824, was developed in 1981 by the Finnish company Pilt Oy. Nokia bought this company in 1984.

The first Finnish mobile phone made by Nokia was the Nokia 110. The first handheld was developed by Finnish mobile phone company Pilt Oy (Piltu) and introduced in 1981.

Pilt was a very small company who didn't even manage to launch the 110 commercially. There was only 200,000 produced, of which about 100,000 were sold. Pilt only started to sell it as a commercial product in 1985, one year after the Nokia 110 had been introduced.

This company also worked on the GSM-1 radio phone in the late 80s.

The Finnish company Nokia, founded in the 1940s and operating out of Oulu, was well-known for its radios and other products. But the company didn't become a mobile phone manufacturer until the 1980s. Nokia was also based in Sweden at this time.

The Nokia 1011

Nokia's first commercially available mobile phone was the Nokia 1011. It was produced by Pilt Oy in 1985. It ran GSM 900Mhz and was a slim model with the typical 'bump-phone' look of its time. The phone also had a limited number of telephone numbers. It was very similar to the Nokia 3310.

However, by this time, Nokia had become a major player in mobile phone sales.

Nokia 1011 - early 1980s

In 1987, Finnish company Nokia bought this company.

Nokia 3310

This is the classic Nokia model of the early 1980s. In fact, the first Nokia that's still used today is the 3310.

But despite its small number of functions, it was a very popular phone and the first to feature an LCD display. This was a big innovation.

The Nokia 3310 is also credited as being one of the first successful cell phones and mobile phone game

Nokia 3310 with LCD screen

The 3310 also had a few notable innovations. It had a built-in calculator, and even a world clock. It also had a game that was very popular at the time.

It could be bought from major Finnish retailers as well as the many small operators that sprung up at the time. But it also came with a free SIM card which made it very popular.

Nokia 3310 with calculator

World Clock

The first mobile phone that was truly 'multimedia' came a few years after the 3310's first introduction. The Nokia 3510 launched in 1992 and had a more advanced display with two lines of text at once.

Nokia 3510 - early 1990s

This phone was still made by Pilt. It ran GSM 900, 1100, and 1900. It was more popular in Western Europe than in the U.S.

Nokia C3

In 1992, Nokia launched its first model that could have more than one number on it. It was actually the second model, the C3, which came first. It was developed by Ericsson and launched in 1989.

The C3 was the first phone that was capable of being linked to more than one telephone line. So, it was also a true multi-line phone.

Nokia C3

In 1996, the C3 was a joint venture between Nokia and Ericsson. It was manufactured in the U.S. and its name was changed to C-series phones.

This model was designed to be cheaper to purchase but featured a few key innovations.

First, it was the first Nokia model with a SIM card slot for the third party GSM chipsets. But it also featured an internal microSD memory slot. This was a huge development and a true first in the mobile phone world.

Nokia C3 with Sim card slot and SD memory card

It was able to store around 100 phone numbers.

Nokia C3 model E5 with SIM and SD card

In this model, you could use your own memory card. But it could also use a new Nokia service that made it easier to transfer files from your computer.

It could store up to 1000 phone numbers.

Nokia C3 model E9 with Sim and SD card

In 1997, this phone was replaced by the C3i, which featured a touchscreen.

But the C3 remains one of the most successful phones of all time. It actually has a strong following worldwide today.

Nokia C3i (1997)

In 1998, Nokia teamed up with Ericsson again and launched the Nokia 9500. It was the first ever touchscreen phone that Nokia was involved in.

In 1999, they introduced their first 3G mobile phone. In fact, it was the world's first ever 3G phone. And it was also the first 3G phone to feature an LCD display. This was actually the first smartphone, which was not a model from Ericsson.

This Nokia was also a GSM 1800 mobile phone.

The Nokia 9500 - 1999

However, this model was short-lived as it was not very successful. So, Nokia quickly changed to a new Nokia design language, and then to the C2.

Nokia C3c (2002)

The C2 design was very popular. The company launched other C2 phones, like the C2-02, C2-03, and C2-05. But these phones did not succeed.

So, in 2002, Nokia introduced a new design. This was the first model that we saw from Nokia under the Nokia brand.

Nokia C3c (2002)

The new model came out in 2002 and was called the C3c. It was the first ever Nokia phone to be offered with a 3.5-inch LCD screen. It was very popular, and helped Nokia start the long trend of introducing smartphones that come with 3.5-inch screens.

This phone was also the first to be introduced with a QWERTY keyboard. It was very popular. But in 2003, it was replaced by the C5.

Nokia C3c

In 2004, Nokia launched a new model that had a 1-inch touch screen. It was a more popular model than its predecessor, and it helped to launch the now classic Nokia nokia classic design language that became the standard for all Nokia models.

Nokia C3c (2004)

In 2005, Nokia introduced the C3c 2nd generation. This phone was also one of the most popular. It had a touchscreen and many other features. However, it was the first to have a dedicated 'game' button.

In 2006, Nokia launched another big phone that is still considered a classic today. It was called the Nokia E65. This model was designed to be a mid-range phone. It featured a 2-inch LCD screen, 3G and some other innovations.

This model was the first one to feature a camera with a resolution higher than 3MP. It had two color screens, with separate features on each.

Nokia E65 with camera

The model came with a few innovations that were very popular.

It was the first to have a built-in MP3 player.

Nokia E65 with photo-quality camera

In this model, you could make calls with one hand, while you were still able to hold your phone up to your face for calls.

It was also the first to feature Bluetooth for data sharing.

Nokia E65 with camera, MP3 player, and Bluetooth

In 2007, Nokia introduced the Nokia X6, a model with a 2.4-inch touch screen. It was available in many different colors, and came with a dedicated camera button.

This phone helped to launch a trend of introducing phones with a dedicated camera button.

This model also introduced a few other features.

It was the first to be available in a wide range of colors.

It was also the first with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

The Nokia X6 with camera button and QWERTY slide-out keyboard

In 2008, Nokia introduced their very first smartphone. It was called the Nokia C7 and was a big phone that introduced many innovations. It was also a true multimedia mobile phone.

This model was also the first to feature 2G 3G dual-SIM support.

Nokia C7 (2008)

The model was the first with an internal microSD card slot.

It was also the first to feature a dedicated camera button.

It also introduced a new way to browse the internet with a phone.

In 2010, Nokia launched another classic model. This was the Nokia C7a. It was the first and only C7 model without any other numbers on it.

This was a special model for China.

Nokia C7a

This model was designed to be used as a personal assistant. It could act as a very precise alarm clock.

Nokia C7a with alarm clock

It also came with a very small keyboard that could be used to communicate with the phone.

In 2011, Nokia introduced a couple of models that were very popular. This was the Nokia C8, and the C9. The Nokia C8 was the first phone to have a 4.3-inch screen.

The model was very popular in China. But it also launched in several other countries, including the U.S.

Nokia C8 (2011)

This model had some new features that were very popular.

The biggest innovation of this model was that it was the first with a quad-core processor. It was also the first with the Windows Phone operating system.

Nokia C9 with a 4.3-inch screen

In 2012, Nokia launched a new model with a 2.8-inch screen. The Nokia C8-1 was a model that was sold in China.

In the summer of 2012, Nokia launched a model with a 5-inch screen. This model was the Nokia C7-2. It was sold exclusively in China.

The Nokia C7-2

This model had one of the longest battery life of any Nokia model. It lasted for up to 10 days without charging.

But it also introduced a couple of big innovations that were very popular.

It was the first to be able to connect to other mobile devices, such as Android and Windows Phone devices.

It was the first to come with NFC for data transfer.