The scent of stale cigarette smoke still clings, faintly, to the leather pouch. It’s a phantom limb, a ghost of the mobile phone revolution’s infancy. Inside, nestled beside the Nokia 8850, sits the reason I’m here: the Synergy Digital replacement battery. My mission? To see if this modern marvel can resurrect a classic.

This isn’t just about charging a phone. It’s about bringing a piece of design history back to life. That gold-plated chassis, the spring-loaded mechanism, the way the screen almost disappears when you slide the keypad shut – it was poetry in motion. The original BLB-2 batteries, however, are notorious for their… let’s just say, ageing gracefully is not in their repertoire. They’d swell, barely holding a charge long enough to dial a wrong number.

So, the Synergy. Right out of the box, the build quality feels decent. The 3.7V, 750mAh spec matches the original, which is essential for compatibility. No point in upgrading the capacity if the phone’s charging circuitry can’t handle it, right? I’ve seen some aftermarket batteries skimp on this, leading to all sorts of fun (and by “fun,” I mean melted plastic). The included instructions are thankfully straightforward.

Fitting the battery is a breeze. Pop the old one out, slide the new one in. It’s a far cry from wrestling with some of the aftermarket batteries for, say, early Motorola StarTACs; those could be a real ordeal. The 8850’s simplicity is part of its enduring charm.

Charging it up on a period-correct desktop charger, I let it sit overnight. The next morning, I held my breath. A full bar. This is promising. The real test, of course, is the real world. After a day of minimal use (a few calls, a text or two - remember SMS?), I still had half a bar. Not bad. Not spectacular, but certainly better than the death-rattle performance of the original. One minor quibble: the battery indicator isn’t always perfectly accurate. A user might need to plan around a bit of guess-work and top it up regularly.

Now, against the battery’s performance, compare it to trying to find a NOS (New Old Stock) BLB-2. You are looking at a potential expense that is several times what this aftermarket battery is going for, and there’s no guarantee it will actually hold its charge. Plus, if you’re restoring your 8850 and actually intend to use it, you should opt for this.

Therefore, if you’re a collector or enthusiast looking to resurrect a Nokia 8850, and you want to enjoy it, the Synergy Digital battery is a no-brainer. Grab one, and maybe even find a spare leather pouch while you’re at it. It’s time to make those vintage calls.