If you ask us about the best-selling mobile phone in history, we may think of Apple or Samsung devices, which are among the most popular brands of today. But, This milestone does not belong to them. We must travel back in time to find the true owner of this remarkable title; a journey that takes us back twenty years when the world was very different.

Do you remember what life was like in 2003? if you are centenary This question may not be the best for you, but if you’re from an older generation, you probably have an answer. focus the most coachThis is what interested us in Xataka, broadband was available in many places and at the wireless level we were still using 2G networks.

The ‘basic’ phone that emerged as smartphones became widespread

When it was time to work or study, we turned to our computers running Windows XP or Mac OS X (not macOS). Moreover, we witnessed its arrival live. first smartphones. As we remember a few years ago, among the most notable mobile phones were the BlackBerry 6230, Sony Ericsson P900, Samsung E700, Motorola V600 and Nokia 6600.

BlackBerry 6230, Sony Ericsson P900, Samsung E700, Motorola V600 and Nokia 6600

The second producer was the real king of the market. The device catalogs were very large and, as we see in the images, made a difference in terms of design and features. But it wasn’t all about advanced phones for Nokia. At that time, the company also correctly opted for more modest solutions for customers with more limited budgets.

We say it was a successful bet because it emerged timidly in the middle of the development of the smartphone concept. A mobile phone called Nokia 1100 it was not targeting this segment. It didn’t stand out because it included a camera or had a color screen. It was a standard, simple mobile phone, but it was built under a solid concept that made it a mobile phone that was as successful as it was indestructible.

When the Nokia 1100 was released in August 2003, its price was around $100. Finns, who have a global presence, are more challenging environments. This need is directly reflected in the design, with a fully enclosed keyboard that keeps out dust and non-slip rubber edges, ideal for humid weather.

It had a monochrome screen, flashlight, clock, calendar, calculator, stopwatch and contact book. At the tone level, you had 36 options to choose from, or if you were skilled enough, seven slots to save tones you created yourself. Despite its basic features, version 2 included the inevitable (and at the time already classic) snake game ‘Snake’.

One of the advantages of the device was its great autonomy. Nokia’s tactic to achieve this was simple: add an originally designed battery to the Nokia 1100. for more advanced models This ultimately consumed more energy. It was the BL-5C battery that allowed the device to be used for more than a week without the need to connect it to a charger.

This combination of features ensured the phone’s success, but its presence went relatively unnoticed in many markets. It has sold more than 250 million units since its launch; This figure is even higher than Apple’s best-selling iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, with a total of 225 million units sold.

Images: Nokia

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