We look at the Nokia G42 5G, made with some recycled materials and a QuickFix repairability option. See more about the phone here. 

Nokia G42 5G reviewed

Out of the box this is a nice phone, it has a sleek and fun wow feeling to it, especially with the metallic purple colour version that we received. Our reviewers all cooed over the initial look, feel and colouring of the phone. This seemed like a good start and a way to build on some positive legacy impressions from previous Nokia phones tested and reviewed in-house.

The ability to repair the phone is a great idea, positive step, and hopefully the route forward for all devices in the market. Nokia know that we are all aware of the issues with other phones by many, to all, of their competitors with the lack of repairability, with warrantees often voided, simply by even taking the back off the device. For greater sustainability, we do need to move towards a better, less environmentally intense approach to the assemblage and repair of smart phones. The challenge of course for a midlevel smart phone is to make it loved enough that you would want to repair rather than replace it.

Nokia’s phones as they aim to regain their market share in this market face this challenge and dilemma. When we heard that the phone was repairable and more easily fixed, this definitely wins our support. The question then is, if the phone is good enough to inspire the owner to keep using it and fixing it. Our testers overall liked it, felt it was fun to use, with good quality images.

Many phones these days come with a basic protective cover, and, ideally before repairing, you would hopefully have some preventative power too. As always the cost of the device, relative to the price of supplying a free protective cover always leaves you wishing something had been supplied with the purchase.

Positive aspects about the phone include the fact that the battery held it’s charge for over a day, which is always a win these days. The price point is reasonable too, good enough to have with you, to be used everywhere and anywhere, and, if you can find a good protective casing for it, then it should serve you well. It is also not huge, and is tending away from the trend towards smart phone size creep which can then leave you struggling to keep it safe in your pocket or bag. Our testers enjoyed using the phone and look forward to seeing the ongoing journey and development of this type of phone. Hopefully it also inspires and nudges their rivals to up their game also.

More about the Nokia G42 5G

See more reviews here.