HMD Global
- The new Nokia G22, which was rolled out Feb. 25, is designed to be repaired at home.
- Its battery can be replaced in 5 minutes with a guitar pick, OO screwdriver, and sim card tray pin.
- The device comes in two colors, has a battery life of up to three days, and starts at £149.99.
HMD Global, the exclusive licensee of Nokia, wants us to change how we treat our smartphones.
People typically discard or sell their phones when the battery reaches the end of its lifespan or the screen starts to show its age. But the Finnish firm has developed the G22 in the hope that consumers will hold onto their handsets much longer.
The Nokia G22 has been designed to cut down on the steps and complexity involved in replacing a battery, screen, and charging port. For example, users can swap out the battery in around five minutes using an OO screwdriver, a sim card tray pin, and a guitar pick.
That's a dramatic change from the 90 minutes required to swap out the batteries in previous generations, according to Adam Ferguson, head of product marketing at HMD Global. He demonstrated a battery replacement live to journalists on a briefing call ahead of Mobile World Congress 2023.
Screens can be replaced with similar tools in less than 20 minutes, the company claimed. Customers can get their hands on replacements from repair partner iFixit, which also provides step-by-step guides.
The Nokia G22 starts at £149.99 (around $179), runs on Android 12, and has a battery life of up to three days. Available in meteor grey and lagoon blue, the device has a two-tone back that is made from recycled plastic.
Other features include OZO Playback for clearer sound and enhanced bass, and a 50MP camera with software enhancements for snapping pictures at night on the 6.52" HD+ display.
Repairing a phone yourself typically voids the warranty, but Ferguson said the G22's will remain intact as long as users follow the self-repair guides provided by iFixit.
HMD Global
The repairability-by-design device follows a wider sustainability push. Circular, for example, is a subscription service that ensures Nokia phones are recycled or reused when a customer returns them. Just 32% of electronic waste in North America and Europe was recycled as of 2019.
In 2020, The European Commission announced plans to give consumers the right to repair their devices as part of its shift to a circular economy, but the publication of the proposal has been repeatedly delayed.
A bevy of companies offer modular phones that allow customers to change up their components as and when they want, not least Fairphone, which is made from recycled materials.
Fully DIY phones can be daunting, HMD Global's Ferguson said. The company opted for repairability on specific pain points so that it is still widely accessible, he added.
The Nokia G22 will be on display at MWC 2023 and rollout began Feb. 25. It will be available in the UK from March 6.