It was arguably the most talked about device at MWC this year. With the buzzing of innovative smartphones announcements as expected in every MWC, crowds flocked to the revamped, iconic Nokia 8110, made famous by its appearance in The Matrix. It’s the best contender so far for becoming the poster child of the smart feature phone revolution.

In case you missed it: it’s powered by KaiOS, and it’s rolling out in countries across the globe in the coming months.

We thought this critical milestone is a good reason to ask two questions:

  1. Why should you be excited about this phone?
  2. Why are we at Kai excited about this phone?

Let’s start, of course, with you!

While we focus exclusively on feature phones here at Kai, we’ll be the first to admit that not all of them look sexy, especially compared to a high-end smartphone. That sucks! Like cars and clothing, our phones have become an expression of who we are.

When a smartphone is not an option for you, the Nokia ‘banana phone’ now gives you a way to sport a good-looking feature phone. In fact, we bet the new Nokia 8110 will get you more attention than any smartphone, no matter what crowd you find yourself in!

Even if you already own a smartphone, the new Nokia also makes for a great companion. Since it has longer battery life, is less expensive, and KaiOS supports all essential apps, it’s a great backup in situations where you 1) run out of battery, or 2) don’t want to risk losing your expensive primary device (camping, festivals, sports). This is where the Nokia 8110 has you covered, and carriers around the world are implementing support for SIM cards that keep both phones synced and available on the same number.

The new Nokia 8110 also fits well into the emerging trend of “digital well-being” (an important topic at Google’s recent I/O conference). As David Pierce reported in his Wall Street Journal article that featured KaiOS, many consumers in established markets are looking for a less distracting device than a smartphone. If that sounds like you, the Nokia 8110 is a great option.

So what about us here at Kai? Why are we excited about this phone

As a company, our near-term objective is to be the mobile OS for smart feature phones. Nokia was, of course, the undisputed king of feature phones back in the day, and is now staging an impressive comeback to reclaim that spot, with KaiOS playing a vital role in making that happen.

What’s more, for us to fulfill our mission, we need a flagship product that captures the imagination. The Nokia 8110 can shoulder this role. It looks great and turns heads. As David Pierce said in his Wall Street Journal article: this is a feature phone “even iPhone users will crave!”