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Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

theguardian.com

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Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#271

Post by dsego »

crazygringo wrote: post #131
poisonborz wrote: post #50

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 backi…

> Waterproofing is the main reason.

Samsung Galaxy S5

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#272

Post by natdempk »

xigency wrote: post #184
solarkraft wrote: post #35

I'm happy about this! But, while repairability is always great, a major (maybe the biggest) part of phone obsolescence is due to software. 2 or 3 years of updates are a joke, Apple does up to 8. The best hope here is that this phone's repairability will attract a software hacking community to provide inofficial updates, but what a terrible thing to have to rely on. Besides: Phones by other brands like Pocophone are p…

> 2 or 3 years of updates are a joke, Apple does up to 8. Saying an iPhone can handle 8 generations of iOS updates is a bigger joke. I’m a cheapskate that somehow uses Apple phones, and I’ll let you know after 2-3 major OS updates the performance is always severely diminished.

If you make a claim like this can you provide details?

My anecdote: I'm using an iPhone XS that has seen 4+ years of use across iOS 12-16 (5 major versions) and I haven't noticed any real consistent slowdowns. I've seen the occasional clear bug shipped where performance dips from time to time doing certain specific things, but these seem to be resolved upon the next update or two usually.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#273

Post by cristiioan »

donutshop wrote: post #31

If GrapheneOS could support this phone that would be a killer combo.

I don't think Graphene OS will support anything else than Pixels and posibily in the future a custom phone made for Graphene OS[https://www.androidpolice.com/graphene-os-phone/]

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#274

Post by commandersaki »

bobbylarrybobby wrote: post #222
xigency wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 2 or 3 years of updates are a joke, Apple does up to 8. Saying an iPhone can handle 8 generations of iOS updates is a bigger joke. I’m a cheapskate that somehow uses Apple phones, and I’ll let you know after 2-3 major OS updates the performance is always severely diminished.

Are you sure it's not just that the battery has aged after a few years? I've of heard many people (myself included) getting their battery replaced and saying their phone felt like new.

I use an 6S that I bought in 2016. It is on its 4th battery replacement. So I've got almost a full 7 years out of it. It won't receive any major iOS updates anymore, but will still receive security updates. I'd continue down this path for another 2 years, but as a non-iCloud user I want iCloud Advanced Data Protection to sync Notes and Messages.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#275

Post by Zak »

petee wrote: post #206
poisonborz wrote: post #50

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

Could be wrong (please correct me) but i recall hearing that allowing a customer to change a battery (e.g, 3rd party) on a chargable device can change the safety of the product/UL rating or whatever, so it could simply be a certification thing. Not exactly the same thing, but I have a Garmin heartrate chest strap with a replaceable battery (no charging) -- in the US the cover swivels open to change, but in Australia…

There's a specific issue with young children eating button-cell lithium batteries, which I'm guessing is what your Garmin device uses. Australia appears to have a law requiring the battery compartments of such devices to be child-resistant.

I'm not sure if any countries have similar regulations related to larger Li-ion rechargeable batteries.

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2022C00445

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#276

Post by liendolucas »

jimnotgym wrote: post #162

Wow HN. I really interesting new product comes out, a really interesting turn in the right to repair debate, and a return of a famous brand. And instead of talking about that, there are a series of threads about how an iphone costing 5 times as much and is famously difficult to repair is a better phone than this. Get a grip! Can we not have a least one conversation without Apple fanbois wading in?

Yes, but is not only the right to repair. For how long Nokia is willing to manufacture spare parts for this phone? A year, two? What if after 3 year my phone breaks and I can't repair it not because a repair issue per se but because of part availability. This already happened to me with a Nokia 7 Plus, which is a phone I like because it came with Android One. Now on the tech side, the phone is just fine, camera specs, screen is really good, battery is still good. I broke the charging board and the screen. Original parts for it no longer produced, only OEM ones with lower quality. So I would take this with a grain of salt. So will I need to buy the phone and immediately a pack of spare parts just in case because tomorrow they will be no longer available?

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#277

Post by pedrocr »

gman83 wrote: post #235
mlinksva wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The positive (and there's plenty of criticism; search and read) point being made about iphone is that it has a longer support duration. This seems highly complementary to repairability -- both seem important to maximize useful life -- and thus an entirely fair point, no? I'm recently on my 4th Android smartphone in 12 years (Galaxy S, Moto G, Pixel 2, Pixel 7) and would be still on the Pixel 2 if not for lack of upda…

FYI you can get LineageOS 20 (Android 13) for your Pixel 2 with the latest updates: https://www.xda-developers.com/lineageos-20-google-pixel-2-a...

Last time I used LineageOS while you got the Android updates on most devices the underlying kernel and drivers were stuck at whatever the manufacturer originally shipped, and that included a bunch of security problems on most phones. Android security and updates is still a mess after all these years. For a while Android One seemed to help and I bought all my phones off that list, but even that's now gone. At this point anything that's not a Pixel within the (very short) support window is probably a big risk. Google really screwed this up.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#278

Post by eropple »

pjmlp wrote: post #135
eropple wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I have bad news for you about the performance of flagship Android devices from 2017, man.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#279

Post by mtlmtlmtlmtl »

Klonoar wrote: post #191
jimnotgym wrote: post #162

Wow HN. I really interesting new product comes out, a really interesting turn in the right to repair debate, and a return of a famous brand. And instead of talking about that, there are a series of threads about how an iphone costing 5 times as much and is famously difficult to repair is a better phone than this. Get a grip! Can we not have a least one conversation without Apple fanbois wading in?

So just to be clear: you want to discuss a smartphone, in a vacuum, completely ignoring what - barring a few select Android phones - effectively sets the bar for the industry. It’s not “fanbois”, it’s just reality. HN isn’t the one that needs to get a grip here.

Since when has Apple ever made an easily repairable budget anything? This is a niche in which Apple is non existent.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#280

Post by bombolo »

seltzered_ wrote: post #187
mmastrac wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I ran a Samsung S5 (?) like this many, many years ago and it was pretty cool but holy crap it was a beast. My jeans pockets started to stretch out from carrying it, and it was impossible to keep it in a jacket pocket at all.

I did similar with a galaxy S4 (third party battery w/special back case to accommodate the larger size). Worked nice but eventually the battery bulged. The tradeoff with replaceable batteries is if when you swap the phone loses track of time until finding a cell tower. Fine if in range but a risk when hiking far away, and might also propagate the wrong time to your smartwatch.

It should be able to sync its clock slowly from the GPS signal. But I have no clue if the feature is actually implemented.
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