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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

#881

Post by rglullis »

int_19h wrote: post #560
rglullis wrote: post #246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plenty of models that can work with all frequencies, so I am not sure if that's enough of a justification. Anyway, your point reminds me that the my "dream smartphone" would be one with no cellular connectivity at all. I'm still waiting for some company to start producing a keychain-sized 4G (or 5G) hotspot with an eSIM, which (I hope) would lead to more people asking for the return of the iPod Touch and for somethin…

A keychain-sized hotspot would have dismal battery life, though.

Hum, maybe I meant the size of a key fob? It could be a bit thicker, I'd guess it would hold something like ~2000mAh. For just the radio, and for something that would be used only while on the go (otherwise you can use your home/your job connection), why couldn't that work as long as a feature phone, which could go for a week in a single charge?

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#882

Post by scarface74 »

ClumsyPilot wrote: post #581
nordsieck wrote: post #519

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I expect lifetime updates. I get that on my real computers: my Linux distribution doesn't suddenly stop updating just because my computer is 3+ years old. Why should phones be any different? No other desktop OS works like that. Both Windows and MacOS sunset support for devices. Admittedly - after much, much more time than phone OSes, though. > You're telling me these trillion dollar corporations can't match the qua…

> No other desktop OS works like that. Both Windows and MacOS sunset support for devices. Admittedly - after much, much more time than phone OSes, though. 10x more. Windows 10 runs on computers that are 20 years old. You have to remember billions of people don't live in the west, they live in india or africa where they use equipment much longer. 10 - 20 years is a real lifespan for cars and appliances, it is also rea…

And those billions of people are buying $30-$50 phones unsubsidized that are much better than a first gen iPhone .

Should the cellular carriers have never moved past 2G?

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#883

Post by hommelix »

foepys wrote: post #718
999900000999 wrote: post #457

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plenty of jacks if you know where to look. Midrange phones like the Moto G line still have them.

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…

Fairphone has a microSD card on their phone. At least there is one slot for a microSD card on my FP2 and FP4.

Source: https://shop.fairphone.com/en/buy-fairphone-4 under specification/storage -> unfold the block "Storage" and under the main storage is : External storage capacity: microSD up to 2TB (SD 3.0)

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#884

Post by scarface74 »

dsego wrote: post #271
crazygringo wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

As long as you don’t forget to close the flap.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#885

Post by cubefox »

dataflow wrote: post #685
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…

> while offering just three years of security updates, after which you basically have to throw the thing away Nope, you don't. It's just that somehow techies seem to have gotten this meme into their heads that an unpatched life isn't worth living. Can't update my phone within 1 microsecond of a patch being released? I guess I might as well just die. Much safer than risking the > The repairability sounds nice, but it…

Well, I agree partly. I'm also on a phone which doesn't receive security updates anymore. I don't know how risky that is. However, it seems clear that longer security updates are much more desirable than increased repairability. Most people won't need to repair their phone, apart from changing the battery after a few years. Especially not when it is a cheap phone anyway, where any repair cost is likely higher than a new phone would be. So a device with longer security updates seems still better than this increased repairability.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#886

Post by cubefox »

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…

> Nokia probably have done research on this pricing segment to know that the averaging budget android device lifecycle is about 2.x years

I don't think that's remotely true. People who buy budget phones are not typically the tech enthusiasts who buy new phones every two years. Instead the market analysis has likely shown that people are way more impressed by "repairability" than by "long security updates". Otherwise we would long have Android phones with security update durations similar to iOS.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#887

Post by cubefox »

capableweb wrote: post #546
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…

Seems this new phone costs about 150 EUR, which for three years, would be 50 EUR per year, if you keep for as long as it gets security updates. A iPhone 14 costs ~1000 EUR where I am. If you expect to get 7 years of security updates out of it (I think that's what Apple says? Not sure, someone please correct me), then it'll be 142 EUR per year. Three times the price, if you calculate it per year. After three years of…

I was comparing repairability to longer security updates, not cheap Android phones to expensive iPhones. For that matter, iPhones aren't especially repairable either: So if a cheap Nokia can be better than an iPhone in this regard, why couldn't it be at least as good in terms of updates?

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#888

Post by roryisok »

psmith50 wrote: post #843
roryisok wrote: post #740

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the reason. All those people who need to be on the absolute bleeding edge, sell perfectly good phones for a quarter of what they cost new, to people like me. Everyone I know buys new phones for anywhere up to 800 for the latest Samsungs (and don't even get me started on the Apple stuff) and I just can't fathom it. It's like buying a brand new car and then selling it three years later to buy another brand new…

Where do you typically go to buy your used phone? eBay? Local shops?

You can buy used phones on Amazon.

There are loads of premium refurbishment outfits like refurbed.at (Austrian) who will sell you a second hand device in mint condition.

There are also high-street tech repair shops that usually sell second hand devices, and one chain here (webuy) that work a little like Gamestop but also buy back electronics. They underpay and overcharge just like Gamestop, but it still works out way cheaper than new, and they provide a warranty.

I've bought from all three sources for myself and my family. I only had an issue with a device from webuy one time, and since it's local I was able to go back in and get a refund the following week.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#889

Post by cubefox »

BeefWellington wrote: post #872
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…

Agreed, it would've been great to see a matching five year commitment to security updates. However, you can run alternate Android versions and get security updates even longer, outside of security updates for component firmware.

It seems slightly unlikely there would be a custom ROM for such an unknown phone. In any case, custom ROMs are not an option for ordinary people.

Re: Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

#890

Post by cubefox »

45453836 wrote: post #636
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…

To be fair the mobile device iteration of the repairability movement has always been laden with irony. It's a user empowerment movement solving a problem users didn't care about or want to deal with, championed mainly by middle and upper income individuals in tandem with politicians looking for easy karma (bonus points if they're European because it makes them look tough against the big corporate Americans plus Samsu…

Indeed. Some things (GMO free, renewable, partly recycled back cover, repairable) sound good to customers, while being at best of marginal importance compared to other factors.
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