In the early 2000s, when CD-players were completing their takeover of cassettes—but were in some ways worse, skipping more and less durable—a new piece of technology that was a cutting edge, lightweight portable cell phone that could withstand being thrown with full force against a brick wall multiple times and still be able to make calls and play Snake on was, well… awesome.

This review talks about all of the glory that is the Nokia 3310, but keep in mind that this includes the Nokia 3315, 3320, 3330, 3350, 3360, 3390, and 3395, all of which were simply variants of this tried-and-true model.

1. The Nokia 3310 was durable

They call it the “brick phone” for a reason. The engineer of the Nokia 3310 should be proud of the phone’s infamy as “indestructible.” This thing was tough. It could withstand countless falls and drops and WOULD. NEVER. BREAK. This isn’t an exaggeration. These things would be thrown against walls multiple times. Lit on fire. Dropped from ridiculous heights. In fact, googling “Nokia 3310 indestructible” brings up a KnowYourMeme page. Before smartphone cases became basically mandatory, phones were expected to be sturdy all on their own. If you are one of those people who is fascinated by watching phones get smashed, the Nokia 3310 will fascinate you.

2. They actually felt small and portable.

Nokia has made both one of the ugliest phones we’ve ever seen in the Nokia 7600, and the simple yet sleek 3310. One of the first real mass market cell phones in a time when the 80’s size-of-a-brick phones were most common, the Nokia 3310 was not exactly slim, but compared to its predecessors, it was downright elegant.

3. The interchangeable faceplates!

Don’t lie and say you didn’t love buying new covers and switching them out constantly. You may have even experimented with mismatching front and back plates. This phone funded countless mall kiosks for nearly a decade.

4. The iconic ringtones

It just sounds like the early 2000’s. For a nostalgia overload, listen to all 16 original Nokia ringtones in this YouTube video. The Mozart ringtone is one of my favourites.

Snake II. ‘Nuff said.

If you didn’t spend countless hours playing this game than you didn’t deserve a cell phone in 2001. I mean, smartphones aren’t the beginning of mobile gaming. There was an entire generation of Snake II pros. Smartphone addiction was preceded by good old cell phone addiction.

6. They live for-ev-er!

These days, battery life is an endless struggle. Not so with the Nokia 3310. No joke. These things never ran out of battery. The Nokia 3310 had an absurd 260 hour battery life when idle, and 4.5 hours of charge when talking. Let that sink in while your iPhone is charging. In the middle of the day.

7. The LCD screen could be seen in direct sunlight!

Back in the day, we didn’t have to worry about adjusting screen brightness ever. You could just always see your screen. Man, we didn’t know how lucky we were! I have to turn my brightness all the way up if I’m in the sun, which really kills your battery.

The Nokia 3310 is deserving of its legacy. No other phone can be put through such abuse. Companies like CAT and DeWalt are aiming to achieve what Nokia already has. It’s no surprise that Techradar calls it “greatest phone of all time.” May it never be forgotten.