The Nokia 5100 series of celular phones was introduced in 1998. Multiple variants were released for different regions and cellular networks. The 5180i was a North American model for CDMA networks like Verizon. The 5100 series was the consumer equivalent to the business focused 6100 series.

The 5100 and 6100 models were Nokia phones to feature games -- most notably Snake. The concept for Snake originated the the arcade game Blockade in 1976. The genre saw a major resurgence in the late 90s with its release on Nokia phones.