Nokia has enjoyed something of a comeback over recent years in the smartphone world. Once the biggest name in mobiles, the company has started to carve out a nice little niche for itself with inexpensive but well-made handsets and tablets.
And they grabbed a lot of attention earlier this year with the Nokia G22 which it claims can be easily repaired at home. The intention should absolutely be applauded - how many mobiles have been thrown away because of the extortionate cost of a screen repair, for instance?
In a world where perfectly good laptops from one of the biggest names in tech are being sent to the tip because the tight security measures have made them unusable, giving people the chance to make their own repairs is not only good for their pockets but for the environment, too.
With sustainability and longevity in mind, Nokia says you can replace a damaged display, bent charging port or flat battery way after the phone’s warranty has expired. The company has struck up a partnership with iFixit to produce step-by-step repair guides and affordable replacement parts starting at £18.99. But is it as simple as they have making out? We'll find that out in a bit.
Let's start off with the phone itself, which costs just £169. As with Nokia's other products the phone belies the price tag, it looks and feels very solid, while coming in either a two-tone grey or 'lagoon blue'. The 100% recycled plastic back feels very durable, while the screen is made of Gorilla Glass 3 so you should get away with an accident. Just don't drop it in a puddle as it's splash resistant only.
The phone houses a 6.52ins HD+ display and isn't as chunky as you would expect for devices at this price point. As I've found, Nokia is very good at getting more out of less. The G22 runs a streamlined stock version of Android 12, with the promise of 13 soon. It's absolutely fine and you don't miss all the useless software that you often find packed into other phones of this type. Nokia is promising two years of upgrades and three years of monthly security updates, as well as three years' warranty, which gives you some peace of mind.
Security-wise it comes with a fingerprint sensor on the side power key which I found to be pretty reliable, It does have face unlock as well, but that was less so. You get 128GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM as well. The screen is fine for watching Netflix etc... You aren't getting an amazing display but you ain't paying for one either is how I would look at. You do get a headphone jack, which is a reason to rejoice.
The whole thing is powered by a Unisoc T606 which, to be honest, is the only place where you'll be left thinking 'ah. yes, this is a budget phone'. It's by no means powerful but I could live with it. The phone isn't snappy but you won't be tearing your hair out either. And gaming isn't completely out of the question, either.
What the G22 takes away with power it gives back with, errr, power. Or more specifically battery life. It's pretty epic. You're easily talking three days plus with light usage. Very happy with that. Before I tell you how I got on taking it apart, I'll just mention the cameras. On the back you'll find a 50MP lens which proved to be pretty decent, as was the 8MP front camera. The photo software was pretty standard as well, even if the chip struggled with processing a couple of times.
Enough of that, can you take it apart (and put it back together)
Right. So is it as DIY repairable as Nokia says? I'd say 'yes'. First off you'll need an iFix electronics toolkit. This will cost you around £25. To be fair, it's a very handy thing to have in the house anyway so I wouldn't begrudge shelling out for it.
With tools in hand and the iFix guide in front of me, I began. And quickly stumbled. I initially found it difficult to get the screen off using the plastic fob, despite it looking so so easy (iFixit even rated itself as such). What had I done wrong?
After what felt like 20 minutes just looking at it, I drew a deep breath and tried again. This time, success! Using the fob I managed to take the screen off with relative ease. The rest of it was AOK. I just challenged myself to take the battery out and then put it back in without breaking the phone. There were a lot of (very small) screws but other than that, this bit was fairly straightforward.
I then put it all back again, and with a firm snap to put the screen back on it all looked as it should. And it turned on! So, yes, if you were looking to swap the battery or screen (two things on phones that fail the most), I'd say that's well-doable at home.
Verdict
As I said before, Nokia should be applauded for this kind of sustainable approach. The phone is very good for the price point and the repairability claim is not a gimmick. However, while I was busily unscrewing one of a dozen tiny screws it did occur to me this is the first step rather than the destination. Imagine a consumer smartphone that would allow you hot swap screens, batteries and other components? Would I recommend this handset? Yes. But it's what Nokia must be cooking up for the future that has me really excited.
