Nokia G42 5G review: Just right to repair

The Nokia G42 is exciting less for what it is, but more for what it represents. As part of Nokia’s repairable series, this handset can be fully taken apart and repaired at home with an iFixIt kit. It isn’t the first, and it won’t be the last phone you can repair yourself, but it is an excellent step forward for the otherwise expensive and exclusive phone repair market in Australia.

Apart from the repairability factor, the Nokia G42 is everything you would expect from a mid-range phone. Excellent battery, solid performance, touch-and-go photography - it won’t rival the big leagues but physically it has the potential to last you longer than any flagship. If only the software updates could do the same.

Repairability: Back in 2021 Australia did an inquiry into The Right to Repair, and found that there are “significant and unnecessary barriers to repair” for a range of products - namely smartphones and other associated gadgets. Many manufacturers like Apple, lock users into expensive, and exclusive repairs which at times could cost up to half the value of the device. There aren’t many manufacturers making steps to combat this in the smartphone space in Australia, but HMD - Nokia’s parent company - is one of them.

The Nokia G42 is a “quick fix repairable” meaning that you can replace screens, batteries, charging ports, and all other assorted components yourself. While you’ll need to buy a repair kit, and the replacement part it is still significantly cheaper than getting a professional repair done, and it really isn’t that hard to do. 

I ran through the steps it would take to replace the front display in the case of a cracked screen. Using an iFixIt kit, taking the phone apart down to the display and putting it back together again took me about 50 minutes. Repair instructions are easily accessible through the iFixIt website, and take you through the process step-by-step. Provided you have a relatively stable hand, and enough patience, there is no reason why you wouldn’t be able to follow the instructions for any repair of the device.  

Repairability: Back in 2021 Australia did an inquiry into The Right to Repair, and found that there are “significant and unnecessary barriers to repair” for a range of products - namely smartphones and other associated gadgets. Many manufacturers like Apple, lock users into expensive, and exclusive repairs which at times could cost up to half the value of the device. There aren’t many manufacturers making steps to combat this in the smartphone space in Australia, but HMD - Nokia’s parent company - is one of them.

The Nokia G42 is a “quick fix repairable” meaning that you can replace screens, batteries, charging ports, and all other assorted components yourself. While you’ll need to buy a repair kit, and the replacement part it is still significantly cheaper than getting a professional repair done, and it really isn’t that hard to do. 

I ran through the steps it would take to replace the front display in the case of a cracked screen. Using an iFixIt kit, taking the phone apart down to the display and putting it back together again took me about 50 minutes. Repair instructions are easily accessible through the iFixIt website, and take you through the process step-by-step. Provided you have a relatively stable hand, and enough patience, there is no reason why you wouldn’t be able to follow the instructions for any repair of the device. 

Repair costs will vary depending on what additional parts you need to buy, but a replacement display for the G42 will set you back around $90. Even with a repair kit, you’ll be paying under $150 as opposed to buying a brand new device.

Long exposure night mode: Similar to Google’s Astrophotography, the Nokia G42 has a long exposure night mode which can be used to take some impressive shots of the night sky. 

This long exposure mode is aptly named Tripod Mode, as you’ll need to keep your phone perfectly still to engage it. The exposure extends over two minutes, and allows for some surprisingly good shots of the night sky. This one below was taken from my yard, which is in a heavily light-polluted area. 

Frankly the results surprised me. The shot ended up pulling more stars than I could see with the naked eye, and did a great job creating contrast between the foreground of the trees and the sky. Astro photography is a much more popular feature across flagship devices so to see it trickling down to a sub-$500 device is a big win.

Battery: One thing mid-range phones have in spades is battery capacity. Equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, the G42 lasts all day without fail and well into the next day. Average users should be able to irk two days of use between charges if need be.

Software updates: Even if you can repair the hardware on the Nokia G42 for as long as parts are made, the software will stop being maintained within three years. Security Patches won’t be guaranteed after August 2026. That's not to say that Nokia won’t extend security updates, but as it stands the device will have more vulnerabilities after about three years of use.

Three years is a little above the standard for most cheaper Android handsets, but it would be great to see further support to go hand-in-hand with the repairability of the phone. 

The rest of the camera: Camera capabilities are the typical trade off when it comes to cheaper handsets, and the G42 is no exception. Although Tripod Mode is a great addition to the camera line-up, the rest of the G42 camera capabilities are lacklustre. Daylight shots are perfectly serviceable and true to colour, but factor in any lowlight or movement and the lenses begin to struggle.

I found it near impossible to get a clear photo of my dog. In all fairness she rarely sits still so you need a super fast shutter speed to capture her, but the same could be said for every toddler I've ever met. This phone won’t do the trick if you primarily want to grab happy snaps of your kids or animals and be able to make out their faces, but if you’re more into still subjects then it very well could.

Shots of food, landscapes, and flowers come out well with adequate lighting. Brighter is better of course, but even as the sun starts to dip you can nab a shot good enough to post. Night mode without Tripod Mode is a bit more of a mixed bag. The camera can have a hard time focusing in lower light, and there is a lot of artifacting in brighter areas. Take this shot below - the sky around the tree looks pixelated and there is no detail left in this area of the shot.

Camera performance is a little under what you’d expect from a phone around the $500 pricepoint. Movement is difficult to capture, and the low light performance isn’t as polished as the Tripod Mode may lead you to believe.

All up the Nokia G42 5G is a mid-range phone that offers both more, and less at the same time. Users can expect more battery, more physical longevity, and more interesting camera features. Unfortunately the camera capabilities on a whole could be improved upon, and i’d love to see the software support live up to the physical one.

Regardless there is definitely a market for the device - the Nokia G42 5G would be an excellent entry-level phone for younger users, and for anyone with slippery fingers that wants more options for repair.