HELSINKI (REUTERS) - The world's most popular mobile from the year 2000 is back on sale in its home market, Finland. The revamped Nokia 3310.

It was the first handset for many of today's smartphone users. And it seems there is still demand for a 'talk and text only' handset.

"To get away from social media maybe, you know, you don't have Instagram and Snapchat and all that," said student Elsa Le Curieux.

"You probably get off your phone because nowadays we are a lot on our phone," said student Oona Patomaki.

The first batch of the phone sold out on pre-orders at its launch day in Finland, following similar success in Britain.

Once the world's dominant phonemaker, Nokia sold its handset operations to Microsoft in 2014, leaving it focusing on telecom network equipment.

But its name is now re-entering the mobile market via a licensing deal with HMD Global, a new company led by ex-Nokia executives and backed by the Chinese.

"Modern consumers you know especially like if you look at it in Finland and in the Nordics you know this retro thing is very kind of hot thing so that´s where we see a lot of users coming from as well," said Ossi Korpela, nordic business director of HMD.

The updated version, in bright red, yellow or more modest blue features the classic Snake game.

Selling at 49 euros, or S$76, HMD hopes that the phone's 22 hours of talk time and up to one month of stand-by time will appeal as a second device for nostalgic Nokia fans. Or those just looking for a break from smartphone overload.