I got up too suddenly and was shocked to see that Nokia is using DeepSeek!

I asked it

How to prevent phone addiction

It told me to crack walnuts with it

Imagine this scenario:

You take out a phone that looks like a Nokia from 30 years ago: the familiar T9 keyboard makes a “click-click” sound. The 2.4 - inch small screen with ultra - low resolution glows with a nostalgic light.

You ask it, “What do you think of people being addicted to their phones?”

Surprisingly, it instantly replies with a sassy comment, telling you, “A truly powerful phone should be able to crack walnuts.”?

This is my adventure with the HMD 3210: a ‘time machine’ that looks like a 30 - year - old Nokia on the outside but has a full - fledged large model inside.

Can you really use AI for just 429 yuan?

When I opened the box and held this HMD 3210 feature phone co - branded with Barcelona in my hand, this was what was going through my mind:

429 yuan? An AI feature phone? Is HMD serious? Can DeepSeek fit into this small box?

With my stereotypical thinking, I once thought this was just a product cashing in on nostalgia. Not to mention the screen with visible pixels and the plastic keys that don't feel very good.

My rational side started shaking its head vigorously: Wake up, there's no such good deal these days.

But curiosity got the better of reason. It wasn't expensive anyway, so I thought I'd just buy it for fun.

Soon I realized I had misjudged it.

This 3210 not only really has AI, but it's also quite useful...

I turned on the phone, inserted the SIM card, connected to the network, and pressed the middle confirm/AI key. Then I casually asked, “What's the weather like today?”

Next came the moment to witness a miracle (for a feature phone):

Immediately (with almost no delay), the voice - recognized text popped up on the screen. Then this AI assistant gave the answer about the weather in Guangzhou. It all happened so fast, only taking about two or three seconds.

Moreover, the way the answer is presented is very ‘Nokia’: not a long string of text you're familiar with, but short messages one by one.

What's even more interesting is when I asked it, “What do you think of modern people being addicted to their phones?”

It didn't give me a long report on the impact of phone addiction like a typical DeepSeek would.

— Instead, it gave me a witty remark:

“The screen flashes the retro signal bars”

Nokia's summary report

Modern people using their phones:

Battery anxiety x 100

Deformed cervical spine x 50

Missing the people around you x ♾️

This phone suggests:

Crack walnuts with me every day! (Physically relieve stress)

So this is what it feels like to use AI on an antique Nokia feature phone.

Let me elaborate on the experience of using this AI on a feature phone:

First of all, I found that the voice recognition of the 3210 is not only fast but also accurate. Whether it's Mandarin or English, you don't need to change the language settings. Just speak directly, and it can recognize instantly with a very high degree of accuracy.

You know, when using the voice input on an iPhone, you often have to wait for one or two seconds for it to react, and sometimes it even makes recognition errors. But the voice recognition speed and accuracy of this ‘old - fashioned’ phone are incredibly fast. It's as if as soon as you finish speaking, it starts showing that it understands everything.

Then, although the answers pop up one by one, the speed is definitely not slow - it definitely exceeds my expectations for a ‘feature phone’.

The feeling of waiting for the text messages to pop up is a bit like sending text messages to someone you have a crush on years ago - it actually gives you a little thrill, making you look forward to what it will say next...

If you give this phone to the elderly in your family, you have to be careful that they might get addicted to chatting with this virtual AI.

The honeymoon period is always short

As the questions became more and more ‘tricky’, this ‘veteran’ started to show its flaws.

First of all, it has a bit of a ‘customer - service syndrome’:

When I asked, “What model are you using?”, it immediately switched to a perfunctory mode: “I'm not very clear about the technical details. We can talk about some life tips instead.”

That tone is just like a customer - service girl trying to brush you off. (Note: It's not the original DeepSeek. It should be a modified version by HMD from a domestic model service provider, which can run locally or with low - latency on the server.)

Even more hilarious is that it has a ‘forced - elderly - user’ mode:

You have to understand that this kind of feature phone is generally targeted at the elderly, so it assumes by default that the user is an old person.

When I asked a work - related question, it would say, “Is this a question for your grandchildren? 🤣”

Me: “I'm only 25 years old, okay!” It: “You're really young and promising!”

It's just making small talk when there's nothing to say...

Moreover, it doesn't have a setting function, and you can't manually change your identity. But you can, like with a normal large model, keep using prompts to ‘guide’ it and make it speak according to your desired settings.

(On this 3210, after repeating and emphasizing four or five times, it finally regarded me as a young person in their twenties...)

I also noticed its ‘word - sparing’ nature.

Each answer is controlled to about 100 words, a typical ‘to - the - point’ style. Whenever you ask a complex question, especially questions like ‘how to take medicine’ that the elderly often ask, it often starts to evade: “This question is a bit complicated. It's recommended that you consult a professional.”

I understand now. This is the so - called ‘small model + strong restrictions + low - end version’ package. It's fast, but in terms of depth, don't have unrealistic fantasies.

Maybe ‘good enough’ is already great?

Although I have mixed feelings about the AI function, when I took a closer look at other details of this phone, I suddenly understood its ‘good intentions’.

The co - branding with Barcelona is quite well - done: The appearance is in Barcelona's colors, the wallpaper has a Barcelona theme, and even the phone ringtone is the Barcelona Anthem. As a fake football fan, I admit I'm impressed.

What I admire the most is the payment function: Although it can't run the full - fledged Alipay, it can display a payment code through a shortcut key! But the implementation method is quite ‘sneaky’: It uses the interface of Alipay connected to children's smartwatches. So in principle, you need another smartphone logged in to Alipay to activate the payment function...

But at least it has realized the payment code. This operation is really something.

As for the answers from this AI assistant that is good at witty remarks but lacks substantial content, this is what I think:

Not everyone needs an AI that can write code, create, and engage in philosophical speculation. For grandparents, having an AI partner that can chat, not make mistakes, and occasionally relieve boredom may be enough.

After all, when you can't accompany them, it's nice to have a 3210 with them.

Time - space disorientation, but somehow healing

After using this 429 - yuan ‘cheapest DeepSeek terminal’ for a few days, my feeling can be summarized in four words: Time - space disorientation.

On the one hand, you're holding a design from 20 years ago, pressing physical keys, and looking at a pixelated screen, as if you've gone back to the era of ‘Snake’ and ‘Tetris’;

On the other hand, you can have a conversation with an AI, experiencing the charm of technology in 2025 - the domestic version is powered by DeepSeek.

This kind of cute contrast is somehow healing.

In this era when everyone is ‘kidnapped’ by smartphones, experiencing a ‘simple life’ occasionally actually gives a feeling of returning to the basics. There are no endless app notifications, no addictive short - videos, only the most basic communication functions, plus an AI partner that's not very smart but very obedient.

Of course, it's pure fantasy to say that this phone can replace a smartphone. But as an experiential toy or an ‘entry - level AI enlightenment phone’ for grandparents, it's actually quite interesting.

After all, in this era when AI is everywhere, allowing the elderly to experience the magic of ‘talking to a machine and having it talk back’ is also a manifestation of the popularization of technology.

Finally, if you ask me whether I recommend buying this phone, my answer is:

If you're expecting a ChatGPT - level experience, forget it;

But if you just want to have some fun or give an ‘AI enlightenment’ that's unlikely to cause problems to your elders or kids at home, then these 429 yuan are quite worth it.

Anyway, a phone that can crack walnuts paired with DeepSeek sounds cool, doesn't it?

This article is from the WeChat official account “ifanr” (ID: ifanr), author: Zhang Zhanyu. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.