Nokia Debuts DIY Smartphone With Its Own Repair Kit & Guides

The Nokia 3310 was legendary for being practically as indestructible as a brick. Now, the company is rethinking longevity with its first smartphone built with repairability at its core.

The new Nokia G22 has a 100% recycled plastic back that can be popped off with just a guitar pick, revealing its user-operable innards. The Android model is Nokia’s first to be equipped with ‘QuickFix’ technology, which enables smartphone owners to reassemble the handset at home with step-by-step instructions and tools by iFixit. This comes in contrast with several top-tier phones today, whose hardware is glued shut.

Replacement parts for the model are friendly on the wallet, with a new battery going for £22.99 (US$27.46), a display setting users back £44.99 (US$53.74), and a backup charging port costing £18.99 (US$22.68).

Putting maintenance in the hands of the user prevents it from becoming e-waste so soon. Furthermore, Adam Ferguson, head of product marketing at Nokia parent company HMD Global, tells CNBC that Nokia G22 owners could save an average of 30% when they fix their phone instead of getting it replaced.

The repairable Nokia handset arrives just as regulators, most notably in the European Union, are reinforcing consumers’ right to repair their gadgets. Industry giants Apple and Samsung have both caved to the pressure by rolling out self-repair programs. 

Where the G22 might disappoint most is its mere IP52 resistance standard, which makes it vulnerable to water damage. Ferguson justifies that the company can’t go any higher if it wants to keep prices low.

In most aspects, the Nokia G22 is rather low-frills. It has a 6.5-inch HD display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 50-megapixel front camera, and it runs on 2021’s Android 12. All told, with its £149.99 (US$179) price and fixability, the phone is presumably designed to help users squeeze every penny.

[via CNBC, NotebookCheck, Nokia, images via various sources]