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Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

theguardian.com

131–140 of 1001 posts

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#131

Why is it so hard to add a removeable back cover to have swappable battery? Seemingly battery replacement can still be done "in 5 minutes" but this still makes pop-out/on the road battery swapping unpractical. https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/nokia-g22

Waterproofing is the main reason.

But then thickness and aesthetic "cheapness" is a secondary one.

A removeable cover and battery is always going to introduce a little bit of thickness, which on a thin phone is noticeable even if not major.

And then whether you have screws or the ridges for removing the cover, it just always feels a little "cheap". You can't get the same kind of rounded smooth glass or aluminum backing that wraps seamlessly around the edges.

And when people are comparing two phones in their hands, the one that feels more "premium" is often the one they'll go with if they feel they're already paying a premium price. This is an object they hold in their hand all day long. And if you live in a major city, it's really not a big deal to get your battery replaced after 2 years at an Apple Store.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#133
post #23

> It runs Android 12 and will be supported for three years of monthly security updates and two major Android version upgrades. And that's why I stick to iPhones for long-lasting devices, those two major versions are a joke. Apple has the crown with seven on the iPhone 6S. When will someone make Android phones other than Pixels with non-abysmal software support? Yes, I know you can install alternate ROMs on your phone…

It's the oems fault in this case. And they have no excuse. Google has modified the architecture of Android to make it possible for oems to update as quickly as possible, as well as all of the previous efforts to enable updating user-facing features without updating the OS. But it's all still a kludge compared to iOS. The bottom line is I don't think this is solvable with technology. Google should have gotten much tou…

They had their chance with Project Treble, and took the decision to make updates optional and not a requirement for Play Store contracts, so naturally nothing changed.

The Android team is the one to blame, several times on Android Fireside sessions they have answered that they rather have the fragementation of the ecosystem where partners are allowed to experiment and come up with new ideas.

Well one of the ideas is to sell newer devices instead of free beer upgrades, with Google's complacency.

I still rather be on Android, because even with them screwing up Sun and leaving it to implode, I like that they push a managed OS no matter what.

Those that unaccept it and keep diving into the NDK with GL based UIs, always get a few scars in the process.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#135
post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't talking about the modern ones, naturally they still aren't old enough to suffer from that. As you tell yourself, the iPhone 8 isn't its former self with its original iOS version.

It's also six years old and where it's pokey tends to be apps , not the OS. The browser, mostly. Turns out we all like to write a lot of JavaScript, I guess? Even if that weren't the case, a six-year-old iPhone 8 has out-survived the useful, secure life of, what, every Android device not made directly by Google? Hell, a 3.5-year-old iPhone 11 has out-survived the useful, secure life of the overwhelming majority of An…

80% of the world doesn't care about those performance enhancements at the price of a laptop replacement.

Apps or OS doesn't matter, they are interwined.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#136
post #37

As other have noted, the lack of updates and locked boot loader make this a no go, but the state of fully open-source, non-Android phones OSs is likewise abysmal. As such, leaving the iPhone isn’t going to happen for me. I’m still using my iPhone 11, and it’s still nice and speedy, the battery is fine, it gets updates quickly, and generally doesn’t annoy me too much. If the PinePhone or PinePhone Pro had a solid, ful…

lack of updates and locked boot loader

The boot loader will probably be unlocked sooner or later. It should be open, but I think it's reasonable to expect either update support or unlocked booting, not necessarily both.

In a gook device, that is. You have to remember that most consumers do not want to know how their phone works or to become expert in its configuration. They just want it to work.

A compromise here would be to have an option to unlock everything, but with the understanding that by doing so you opt out of warranty service.

Is your iPhone's boot loader unlocked?

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#137

> It runs Android 12 and will be supported for three years of monthly security updates and two major Android version upgrades. And that's why I stick to iPhones for long-lasting devices, those two major versions are a joke. Apple has the crown with seven on the iPhone 6S. When will someone make Android phones other than Pixels with non-abysmal software support? Yes, I know you can install alternate ROMs on your phone…

> when they cannot install whatsapp or messenger or their banking app anymore.

Hyperbole much? That's a ridiculous claim. I've been sporting a "renewed" Samsung S10E since early 2021. There's still nothing it can't do. Prior to that I owned a Galaxy S7 since 2016! That's a 5 whole years without any phone issues on an Android phone. I turned on the S7 a few months back and after an update, all the apps still work.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#138
post #104

This seems like a Savvy move from Nokia. At least in my country, Nokia phones are remembered for the following: - nearly indestructible - well priced - back pops out Nokia is doing the most sensible thing to reuse these as its differentiator. I understand people taking about the OS. But Nokia has little control over the software and it has also never been its selling point for me with Symbian, and later Windows Phone…

Did Nokia used to manufacture there own phones? Or have they always just done design - like Apple - and someone else manufactured them?

They used to make them. A manufacturing company from way back, they were the biggest manufacturer of phones from about 1998 to 2011.

Now HMD make them, I think.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#139
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is no different from how feature phones and smartphones used to be. Only rich people care about iPhones, or those that buy everything on credit.

Or, you know, those that want their phones supported for longer than two years. Minimizing a group of people does nothing but stroke your own ego. There are many reasons to buy an iPhone. There are many reasons to buy an Android. Buying one or the other says nothing about you as a person and implying otherwise is absurd and childish. We’re not on Reddit; this is supposed to be adults having conversations not preteen…

Who is worshipping iOS here then?

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#140
post #37

As other have noted, the lack of updates and locked boot loader make this a no go, but the state of fully open-source, non-Android phones OSs is likewise abysmal. As such, leaving the iPhone isn’t going to happen for me. I’m still using my iPhone 11, and it’s still nice and speedy, the battery is fine, it gets updates quickly, and generally doesn’t annoy me too much. If the PinePhone or PinePhone Pro had a solid, ful…

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