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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

#781

Post by realusername »

devy wrote: post #516
cubefox wrote: post #439

Does anyone notice the irony of it being partly repairable, while offering just three years of security updates, after which you basically have to throw the thing away? The repairability sounds nice, but it is very irrelevant compared to the limited software updates. Imagine buying a Windows laptop and only receiving three years of security updates. (I know, most other phones aren't better.) It would have been better…

I don't see a 3-year security update as an irony. In fact, I see that as a great gesture for the budget price point android phone has a 3-year software warranty. Nokia probably have done research on this pricing segment to know that the averaging budget android device lifecycle is about 2.x years and guarantee a 3 year security update to make the device more worthy, comparing to other brands at this price point. By t…

> even Apple iPhone as the gold standard only provide security updates up to 6-7 years but Apple charges at least 2 times of the price.

And it's not a fair comparison either, an iPhone which isn't updated is a big security issue due to everything being so coupled to the OS, on Android it depends of the security flaw affected itself.

I'm not defending the poor upgradability to Android but they worked around that a lot.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#782

Post by foepys »

astrange wrote: post #726
foepys wrote: post #718

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I will never buy a high end Android phone for three reasons: - no headphone jack - no SD card slot - all come with ad-ware and un-uninstallable third-party apps like Facebook (except for Google Pixels, which don't satisfy the first two criteria) Mid range is where it's at. Why pay $200 more for 256 instead of 128 GB when I can put in my 1,000 GB mircoSD card? It's a shame that Fairphone went with the no SD card trend…

Are phone SD cards encrypted? Because they're not fast or reliable, so one would at least hope they're secure.

The newer microSD cards are quite fast. Not as fast as built-in storage but fast enough for things like photos and videos if you buy a card with the appropriate speed class. V30 512 GB costs about 40€ including VAT here in Germany.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SD_card#Class

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#783

Post by astrange »

toastal wrote: post #759
astrange wrote: post #727

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wired earbuds are obnoxious for phone use cases because the cables get tangled up and cause telephonics - that's when walking/running/touching the cable causes it to send unintended sound into your ears. For desktop use cases they have the problem that you have to take them off to get up.

Not saying there aren't use cases where it would be preferred, but you can still use truly wireless earbuds with a Bluetooth capable phone/laptop/desktop that has a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can't however jam a plug into a phone without a jack--the option has been removed. There was a time before the headphone jack was dropped that very few people had wireless earbuds or cared, and now that choice to switch was place…

> You can't however jam a plug into a phone without a jack--the option has been removed.

You can use an adapter? Or a headphone amp with a BT receiver, I have one.

Considering the light weight of wireless headphones it doesn't seem like they're actually a significant ewaste issue, especially since earbuds aren't repairable either.

It is good that larger over ear headphones have replaceable cords, but I don't know, people are too enthusiastic about audiophile headphones - the ones they recommend only work well in perfectly quiet listening environments. In the real world you want noise cancelling, not open ear cans.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#785

Post by Oddskar »

wardedVibe wrote: post #183
ryukafalz wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'll still be waiting, I think. The Verge's coverage says it's not coming to the US: https://www.theverge.com/2023/2/25/23611844/hmd-nokia-g22-re... (I've similarly been wanting a FairPhone here.)

Why do none of the good phone options get sold in the US??!? E.g. Sony has one of the few modern smartphones in a reasonable size (xperia 10II (might be the dumbest name though)), and way too few of the bands work in the American market.

As someone who works in e-commerce related to phones, I think a big part of the answer is that the US is not a big market when it comes to selling phones without a contract.

In the EU it's common practice to buy without a contract, whereas this is very rare in the US.

In other words, carriers have way more power in the US.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#786

Post by crispinb »

peterlk wrote: post #391

And it comes with a 3mm headphone jack! Hallelujah!! I’m so, so glad someone is stepping up to fill this niche. My only complaint, and it’s kind if a big one, is that the screen is too damn big. I’m tired of phone manufacturers forcing me to carry a television in my pocket. I want something small that I can hold in one hand without a pop socket. I’ll trade performance, camera quality, basically anything for a phone w…

So very much agree. I just want a pocketable, repairable, physically robust generic phone that does all the basic things at modest cost. The only circumstance under which I'd consider the price tag of a 'premium' phone (notice how corporations have trained everyone into this risible use of language?) is if it ran a real OS and could be used as a primary computing device. But until we reach that Schlarrafenland I would like a smaller version of this Nokia.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#787

Post by PufPufPuf »

netsharc wrote: post #549
firecall wrote: post #539

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you install your own Android versions? How does it work Android in this regard? I guess it’s not like Windows where if my hardware is supported I can install the latest supported version? I suppose it’s somewhat interesting in the industry difference between supporting hardware with updates as if it’s firmware, and supporting software with updates like an OS. (Not advocating for windows for anything at all BTW)

Homebrew ROMs often don't have Google's holywater blessing of being certified, so some things like banking apps might not run on them. So, say your phone has old Android version x. You're fine until a security hole shows up, or your banking app says "Our app needs Android version x+1. Please update your phone.". Oops, not offered by phone. Install a custom ROM. Banking app says "This device is not certified and for y…

Never had this problem, really. The smart people on XDA have this figured out.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#788

Post by ccouzens »

itake wrote: post #480
userbinator wrote: post #469

Earlier quoted context omitted.

while offering just three years of security updates, after which you basically have to throw the thing away? "security" is just used as an excuse, in practice there's very little in the way of remotely exploitable vulnerabilities. In fact the "security" of newer devices seems to be squarely aimed against the user, so make of that what you will...

In 2017, there was a remote exploit via the browser: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2017-5116 Fortunately, this was patched. Not sure if there are newer ones

It's worth noting browser updates aren't tied to manufacturer's updates.

The majority of Android devices will have updated Chrome and web view soon after the Chrome team released a fix.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#789

Post by chmod775 »

digitallyfree wrote: post #188
wesapien wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully, the bootloader is unlocked for third party ROMs like Lineage and others

Honestly it would be a huge selling point for this device if it had excellent custom ROM support on top of the repairability. There are phones from 2015 still being supported today by Lineage.

Lineage: My S5 (klte, 2014)[0] still works and is still getting updated last I checked.

I did buy a newer phone a few months ago, but I'm keeping the S5 around as a spare. In fact my previous S2 is still working as well, but I don't think it receives updates (also it has no battery right now - luckily it can operate with just power plugged in).

[0]: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/klte/

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#790

Post by PufPufPuf »

firecall wrote: post #539
cubefox wrote: post #439

Does anyone notice the irony of it being partly repairable, while offering just three years of security updates, after which you basically have to throw the thing away? The repairability sounds nice, but it is very irrelevant compared to the limited software updates. Imagine buying a Windows laptop and only receiving three years of security updates. (I know, most other phones aren't better.) It would have been better…

Can you install your own Android versions? How does it work Android in this regard? I guess it’s not like Windows where if my hardware is supported I can install the latest supported version? I suppose it’s somewhat interesting in the industry difference between supporting hardware with updates as if it’s firmware, and supporting software with updates like an OS. (Not advocating for windows for anything at all BTW)

I've been running custom Android ROMs for years on multiple phones. It has brought me modern features and better performance than the vendor's ROM.

It's complicated with Android due to closed-source drivers, someone needs to create an installer for the specific phone model. The installation process is also more complicated than installing a new OS on a PC, but it's perfectly doable if you can follow written instructions. I recommend checking your phone's forum on XDA, you'll see what the community made.

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