With the consumer technology field growing and developing every year, we often see new smartphones release with cutting edge hardware and innovations. So, it can be quite refreshing to revisit these iconic devices from the past and see the influence they left behind. That’s exactly why we are bringing back our Throwback Tech Thursdays segment in 2022 and our first smartphone from the past is the best-selling Nokia 6600.

Nokia, a veteran in the mobile phone industry, isn’t the dominating figure it once was. However, its influence and impact in the market can never be overlooked as some of its older models still have an almost mythic status. One of these iconic offerings was the Nokia 6600, which was among the first real “smartphones”.

What made it Special?

For those familiar with the device, the reasons for its iconic stature is clear. However, the true impact of the Nokia 6600 is far deeper. During the early 2000s, the term ‘smartphones’ had just been coined, with Nokia and Blackberry being market leaders in the segment. These devices offered a number of features that weren’t available on most other mobile phones back then. This included something even as basic as an internet connection.

Notably, Nokia 6600 was the most advanced product from the company at the time of its release. It launched back in October 2003 and ran on Symbian OS 7 with features like music player, video player, camera, memory expansion, web browsing, and more. While these aren’t ground breaking by today’s standards, keep in mind that this was nearly 20 years ago. Back then, one would rarely have access to any of these features unless they had a desktop PC.

Meaning, this device offered the full multimedia suite that is the standard of the industry now. Having personally used this device, I remember spending hours watching videos and movies on the 6600 since it also supported an external memory card as well. The Finnish brand even offered a number of mobile games on it that worked really well with its overall button layout and its joystick. These games took advantage of this for controls, which made it similar to the layout of early game controllers that only had a single joystick. One could even install a wide range of third party software such as mp3 and multimedia players, as well as games, and different themes. So, you could’ve had a personalized experience back then too. It was quite literally marketed as a pocket PC.

Impact & Future Influence

Everyone knows the huge impact of the first iPhone, but if there was a top 10 list for the most influential devices, the Nokia 6600 easily makes the cut. It made waves when it launched and changed the way people looked at mobile phones. Rather than a device for just making calls, you now carried a pocket media player and game console in your pocket. It was so popular and capable, that the brand continued its production and sale all the way till 2007.

So it’s no surprise that the Nokia 6600 is one of the best selling devices of all times. During its lifetime, it sold over 150 million units across the globe. Following its launch, it was clear that rival brands would have to offer specs and features matching this device. Furthermore, features available in flagship devices like the 6600 soon trickled down to the company’s relatively affordable offerings soon after as well, which further helped cement Nokia’s position as the market leader.

Design, Specs, & Price

Being such a popular device, the 6600 was easily recognizable. It had a thick body that some referred to as a small, rounded ‘brick.’ But this usually hinted at its durability and heft, rather than it being unwieldy. A part of its success can also be attributed to its button offerings and keypad layout, which was unique in its own regard. At the time, many phones offered dedicated buttons to navigate through the apps and menus, but the 6600 had a 5 way joystick that made navigation more convenient and gaming more fun as well. It even worked well with the multimedia players as well.

Talking about its specs, it sported a 2.16-inch TFT display with a 176 x 208 resolution. Its chip ran at 104MHz clock speed, and it had 6MB of internal storage. Although its VGA camera wasn’t too powerful by today’s standards, it was a highlighting feature back then since it even supported video recording as well as 2x digital zoom. Being a flagship product, it was an expensive phone that launched for around 600 Euros back in 2003 or about 690 US Dollars. Although, it saw price cuts a while after its release and became even more affordable in the following years as well, which added to its popularity.

I’m sure many of our readers would easily recognize this device and may have had personal experiences with it as well. We’d love to hear more from you guys, so share some of your fond memories with this phone in the comments section down below.

Previous Throwback Tech Thursday Coverage:

• Throwback Tech Thursday: Nexus One, Google’s First Pure Android Phone Revisited
• Throwback Tech Thursday: We Revisit Samsung’s Crazy 10X Optical Zoom Smartphone
• Throwback Tech Thursday: We Revisit Nokia’s Crazy Lipstick Phone (7280)
• Throwback Tech Thursday: Revisiting the Iconic Moto Razr V3, the Phone That Made You Look Cool!
• Throwback Tech Thursday: World’s First Android Phone Revisited

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