What made old Nokia phones nearly indestructible?
The short answer
The Nokia 3310 was nearly indestructible thanks to its rugged double-shell plastic design, compact build, recessed screen, non-glued components, single Printed Circuit Board, and a company-wide emphasis on durability and reliability.
The long answer
As internet legends have it, the Nokia 3310 cell phone is (nearly) indestructible.
Released in 2000, the Nokia 3310 sold 126 million units worldwide, blowing past its original sales goal by sixfold. Part of its popularity came from a reputation for being incredibly durable.
And it's no joke. The internet is littered with accounts of people saying they dropped the Nokia 3310 from tall heights, ran it over with a car, hit it with a sledgehammer, and more, with the phone still continuing to work. Let's dive into what made this old Nokia phone so strong.
Reason #1: Its double shell design
Unlike today's phones made of delicate aluminum and glass, the Nokia 3310 protected its inner components with a "double shell" design. The front and back covers (dark blue in the picture below) were made of hard plastic designed to absorb impact from falls. The inner plastic shell (grey in the picture below) was likely made of nylon, a plastic that is less rigid but still durable.
Nokia 3310 parts separated from back (left) to front (right).
Source: rz01
This double shell design offered significant protection from outside forces, and allowed the more delicate inner components to withstand damage.
Reason #2: Its small, thick size
The Nokia 3310 also is quite chonky. (If you're unfamiliar with this term, it's slang for "large and heavy or solid-looking." I had to use it here when I discovered "chonky" is in the dictionary.)
Source: eBay
Its small and thick form factor makes it inherently more robust as it won't easily bend.
Reason #3: The screen was not flush with the outer shell.
Today's phones are notorious for their screens shattering on impact. Nokia reduced the risk of screen damage by strategically placing the screen about 1mm below the outer shell.
Source: eBay
This design choice allowed the outer shell to take a hit before the screen, making it less likely to crack on impact.
Reason #4: No parts were glued together.
Even under strong impact, the Nokia 3310's components simply popped apart and could easily be reassembled.
Left source: iFixit | Right source: Digikey
Note: The spring connector on the right is not an exact match of the ones in the Nokia 3310. I just wanted to show an example of a spring connector.
Unlike parts that are glued or soldered together, the Nokia 3310 used spring connectors to keep everything in place. This made it more likely that force could be released upon impact rather than break everything inside.
Reason #5: It had a single Printed Circuit Board.
Left source: iFixit | Right source: JerryRigEverything
The Nokia 3310 also housed its computing on a single Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The engineers and designers behind the 3310 could have opted to use more than one PCB or go with a Flexible Printed Circuit.
An example of a Flexible Printed Circuit on a camera.
"Olympus Stylus" by Steve Jurvetson is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Running the phone on a single PCB inherently made it more durable. This choice also likely minimized heat generation, which added to the phone's reliability.
Reason #6: Durability was a key value in Nokia's design philosophy.
When you learn more about the company culture at Nokia, a Finish technology company that's been around since 1865, it's unsurprising that they have designed such durable phones.
Some of the first sketches of the Nokia 3310, by designer Tapani Jokinen.
Source: Tapani Jokinen's Instagram
The designer behind the infamous Nokia 3310, Tapani Jokinen, has emphasized that the company's design philosophy included values that made durability a key factor.
Jokinen has continued to advocate for thoughtful design in creating products that last, emphasizing that 80% of a product's environmental impact is set during the design phase.
Aligned with these key principles, the Nokia 3310 likely underwent extensive testing to ensure its strength before the phone was released to market.
🐸 Bonus fact: The Nokia 3310 frog face
If you haven't already become a fan of the Nokia 3310's durability, perhaps a delightful design element will win you over. As Jokinen put it, there's a "Pleasant surprise" hidden in the backshell of the Nokia 3310: a frog's face.
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Sources
Anastasio, M. (2018, March 28). Meet the legendary Nokia 3310 designer with a plan to green Europe’s tech. META. https://meta.eeb.org/2018/03/28/meet-the-legendary-nokia-3310-designer-with-a-plan-to-green-europes-tech/
Callaham, J. (2018, September 1). Tech Throwback: The Nokia 3310 and its reputation of indestructibility. Android Authority. https://www.androidauthority.com/nokia-3310-900425/
compermise. (2017, August 23). What makes the Nokia 3310 such a tough phone?. Steemit. https://steemit.com/technology/@compermise/what-makes-the-nokia-3310-such-a-tough-phone
Dehinwal, S. (2025, January 30). What the Nokia 3310 teardown teaches about robust design. informal. https://www.informal.cc/what-the-nokia-3310-teardown-teaches-about-robust-design/
DK1MI. (2025, June 29). Building the M17 Nokia 3310. rz01.org. https://rz01.org/
Hanf, M., & Jokinen, T. (2025, January 20). Design for circularity, not recycling. The Circular Coffee Break. https://circularcoffeebreak.com/blog/f/catalyzing-circularity-circulaze%E2%80%99s-cross-sector-innovation
iFixIt. (2017, May 16). My First Phone: The Teardown (Nokia 3310). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xglr0Zy8s8
lrt.lt. (2021, August 27). Kultinio „Nokia 3310“ telefono dizaineris: tik akyliausi pastebi siurprizą, kurį palikome po dangteliu . lrt.lt. https://www.lrt.lt/naujienos/mokslas-ir-it/11/1477957/kultinio-nokia-3310-telefono-dizaineris-tik-akyliausi-pastebi-siurpriza-kuri-palikome-po-dangteliu
Nelson, Z. (2016, April 1). Nokia 3310 Tear-Down and Durability Review - April 1, 2016. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQovQtM8Zhw
It’s like an American accent but with calendars.