Nokia 3128 Prototype F5.0 : Codename Kirin| Unreleased Colour (Orange)
Type: RH-72
💎 Rarity Index: S (Ultra Rare)
⭐ WOW Factor: Represents a short-lived moment when BenQ attempted to showcase its ability to deliver a complete UI solution, hoping to convince Nokia that full software outsourcing for low-cost devices was feasible.
The existence of this device is proof of a BenQ-driven initiative, briefly evaluated and ultimately rejected by Nokia.
Only a handful of such BenQ UI?on?Nokia hardware identity samples were ever created, making surviving units exceptionally rare.
👁 Evaluation in my collection: New – 10/10
🕵 Nokia Codename: Kirin
⏱ Life timer: 0 | 📦 Boxed: NO
📅 Release Year: 2003 | 💰 Release Price: ~300 $
📊 Units Sold: ~15M (final units)
📰 Why this phone matters: A remarkably rare piece of Nokia’s China-market CDMA history, the Nokia 3128 (Type RH-72) stands apart from the brand’s mainstream lineup.
Developed during Nokia’s short-lived collaboration with BenQ/Qisda for ODM CDMA devices, the 3128 blends Nokia’s software customisation with a hardware platform originating from BenQ’s Kirin F5.0 design family – a handset architecture that BenQ itself never released commercially.
This prototype unit, finished in an unreleased Orange colourway, represents a pre-production stage never intended for the public market. The colour scheme follows BenQ’s design language rather than Nokia’s, making it instantly identifiable among collectors familiar with early-2000s ODM manufacturing. Hardware elements – including the casing geometry, battery interface and Qualcomm-based CDMA internals – further underline its BenQ lineage while still carrying official Nokia branding, labels and firmware.
The device offered compact CDMA 1X connectivity, a lightweight clamshell form factor and the simplified user interface typical of Nokia’s China-exclusive CDMA portfolio of the era.
This example is preserved brand new, never used in the collection – a highly desirable state for a model whose production numbers were already extremely small.
A rare convergence of two major manufacturers’ design philosophies, the Nokia 3128 prototype in Orange stands as one of the most distinctive and least-known ODM Nokia variants ever created.
📝 Reviews when released: N/A 💔