What you need to know
- HMD Global announced the Nokia G22 at MWC 2023.
- This is a new budget phone coming to the market designed with repairability in mind.
- The company partnered with iFixit to provide tools and guides on how to repair the Nokia G22.
Mobile World Congress 2023 is coming to a close, but there's one device that still has us decently excited. The Nokia G22 has largely gone under the radar, considering there were plenty of foldables and concept phones that stole the show.
There's a very good chance that the Nokia G22 could be the phone that ends up selling the most. It's not that the specs will blow you away or anything, or that the G22 does something that the rest of the best cheap Android phones don't. But it's immediately apparent that the focus here is on sustainability and repairability.
HMD Global actually went so far as to partner with iFixit, in order to provide tools, guides, and the necessary parts so you can repair the G22 if something breaks. As it currently stands there are four different guides, walking you through the steps to replace the Back Cover, Battery, Charging Port Assembly, and Screen Assembly.
| Spec | Nokia G22 |
|---|---|
| Chipset | Unisoc T606 |
| Display | 6.52-inch HD+ (1200 x 720), 90Hz refresh rate, 500 nits peak brightness |
| Memory | 4GB |
| Storage | 64GB w/ microSD card slot (up to 2TB) |
| Main rear camera | 50MP, ƒ/1.8 |
| Secondary rear camera | 2MP Macro |
| Tertiary rear camera | 2MP Depth |
| Front Camera | 8MP, ƒ/2.0 |
| Battery | 5,050mAh, 20W fast charging, rated for up to 3 days |
| Updates | Two years of OS upgrades, three years of monthly security updates |
| Security | Fingerprint scanner embedded in Power button, Face unlock with mask mode |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Dimensions | 165 x 76.19 x 8.48 mm |
| Weight | 195.23 g |
| Colors | Meteor Grey, Lagoon Blue |
| Protection | IP52, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
It's not so much that every phone should be able to be repaired by the person who owns it. But when a new phone is launched, and the parts are readily available, we can't help but think that it's another win for the "right to repair" initiative.
There aren't very many smartphones on the market that make repairs easy, with the only notable option being the Fairphone 4. And that's kind of the market that the Nokia G22 is entering, and the company aims to extend this easy repairability to future phones.
But the Nokia G22 has a bit of a better chance to succeed given that the Fairphone 4 is priced just below $600. Meanwhile, HMD Global is launching the Nokia G22 with a retail price of $179.
That being said, this is still a budget-friendly phone, and while repairs are possible, they might be a bit too much for some. For example, if you want to replace the Nokia G22's screen, the iFixit guide is comprised of a total of 39 different steps. But on the bright side, you won't need to worry about needing a specialized heat gun to remove the adhesive.
Of course, this isn't going to make waves in the same way that a similar phone made by Samsung would. But we're all for new devices that can be repaired, as one of these might just catch on and spark the change the market needs.
