Nokia G22 / iFixit

Today, Nokia mobile (HMD) launched their new entry-level G22 in cooperation with iFixit.

https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_int/nokia-g-22/specs?sku=101S0609H001

I find the approach of an affordable, yet repairable smartphone promising.
However, the device only comes with Android 12 and is supposed to get just two version upgrades and three years of security updates.
In my opinion, the device could therefore be perfectly combined with a custoum rom like /e/-OS, what do you say?

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Motorola E20 has the same Unisoc (T606) as the advertised Nokia G22, but users still wait for a GPL kernel release last I checked - came onto the market in Q4 2021.

Tech journalists only press their counterparts on “how many Android updates” stance (see Adam Fergusons answers), but source availability isn’t yet a talking point. Welp, modern devices at least can do GSIs.

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If this is Nokias equivalent to the Fairphone 1 time will tell how sustainable their engagement will be. What spare parts you really can buy e.g. 2030 I guess we will see 2030 ;- )

In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive

They may find-

Also to minimize fragmentation in this market segment I would stick to the “original” to support their proven dedication which goes beyond repairability, updates and spare part support.

PS: Great choice starting with Android 12 so they don’t have to release so many further versions ;- )

(didn’t give 2525 a listen in a long time, very dystopian)

HMD looked for a differentiator in the market, it fits and self-serves their newly started subscription model (“Circular”). I wouldn’t blame iFixit for helping in greenwashing, the software side isn’t their staple. But they merely help fix a regression. Phones in the last decade had a lot less glue in them.

If you buy a device today and it’s not a librem/pinephone, make it a qualcomm SoC, they see generally faster GPL releases, unlockable bootloaders and more kernel contribution activity (also thanks to contractors). Those are devices you can run for a decade.

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This is phone we can all convince our parents to buy. Please make it a Murena thing! :smiley:

I have a G21 and was hoping to put /e/-OS on it, but HMD didn’t have the bootloader open for that model. With the new G22, if they are planning on being pro-consumer as they’re saying, then they should also have the bootloader unlocked. I found only one article about rooting the phone, I can’t verify if this is a legitimate working method, but I thought that I should share it here.

well, you can ask HMD if they’re in for it or one of the many outlets that ran the green narrative on the G22 to ask HMD to clarify?

the unlock techy page looks autogenerated / seo spam and gleaning from the instructions doesn’t look like it will work, I’d be surprised - at least check against forums / xda if those will work or there are other known methods - https://forum.xda-developers.com/c/nokia.12020/

OK, so I had a chat with Nokia’s live support chat. Given my experience with support people, I can’t confirm that this 100% correct, but I do think this person was checking the info before answering.

Nokia G22 doesn’t have an open bootloader. Below is a screenshot from the latest chat I had.
image

However, I had another chat with support a week after G22 announcement, before I saw this post here. There, the support agent mentioned that the phone doesn’t come unlocked but has to be unlocked with third-party tools. At the time I didn’t think about asking what third-party tools he was referring to, as I thought he will say something like it’s against their policy to tell me that.

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Phone has landed, any news on this? :smiley:

As you can see in my last post on this thread, the phone’s bootloader is not unlocked, according to the support agent. If the bootloader is not unlocked, you can’t put /e/OS in it. But then again, I don’t have the hardware and haven’t tried myself. If you can afford to brick your G22, you’re welcome to try putting the OS in it, but I strongly suggest you to document the process no matter the result.

They stated that a third-party might be able to provide the codes. So essentially, I was asking if anyone was aware of this happening.

I don’t remember finding any proper article or posts about any third-party tools for unlocking G22’s bootloader. If you have links to such statement, could you please post them here? If they legit said that then I guess we can ask Nokia support for more information using those links.

No. Support just told me, that IF codes were to be released, it would be by a third party :person_shrugging:

In the end of this video it is shown that the bootloader can actually be unlocked from the settings:
https://youtu.be/FZGM-SgfyU4?t=7m20s

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Question remains what to do with that without much hope for TWRP and/or a custom ROM.

But I’m always in for positive surprises.
Keep in mind the G22 seems to be more marketing than anything, though, although less glue and more repair guides are of course welcome anytime … https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/02/the-nokia-g22-pitches-standard-low-end-phone-design-as-repairable/

I haven’t yet made much contact with GSIs - but you should be able to flash them without having your own recovery? Modern handsets all support GSIs.

Anyway - for informed consumers, I wouldn’t buy anything that has not kernel mainlining on its SoC horizon no matter how hardware repairable, you want both.

Moto did release the G20 unisoc T700 kernel code. They closed the E20 request as closed (completed?) before I wrote my post, but I can’t find the device code (as in RON31.xyz) in the sprd tags. With this you could make a Nokia G22 twrp boot. Motorola does follow up on requests eventually if someone pushes.