Hands-on: Nokia C32, Nokia C22, Nokia G22 at MWC 2023

2023-03-01

HMD kicked off its MWC experience with three new phones - the Nokia C32, the Nokia C22, and the easily repairable Nokia G22, this is our first quick look at the trio.

We"ll start things off with the Nokia C32.

Nokia C32

The Nokia C32 is the first C-series device by Nokia to use a glass rear panel. There"s a grooved texture running the entire width of the panel, making it a pleasure to the touch, and less slippery.

The display is a 6.5-inch 720x1600px IPS LCD. It has nice upfront brightness and contrast, and colors are punchy and lively. The screen loses some of its qualities under an angle but that"s normal.

Nokia C32

There are two cameras on the rear - a 50MP main camera - a first for any C-series phone - and a 2MP macro sensor. On the other side, there"s an 8MP selfie camera.

Nokia C32 front and back

The Nokia C32 packs a 3.5mm headphone jack and there"s also wireless FM radio. You also get a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, but you can use the front-facing camera for face unlock, which works with a mask too.

Battery-wise, you get an ample 5,000mAh pack that chargest a bit slowly at just 10W.

Nokia C32 sides

One thing we didn"t expect is the heft of the Nokia C32. At almost 200g, it"s a solid-feeling phone. Coupled with the glass panel and nicer design, the C32 feels decidedly more premium than the C22.

The cameras

The Nokia C32 is available in Charcoal, Autumn Green, and Beach Pink, from €129.

Nokia C22

The Nokia C22 shares some of the traits of the C32, mainly the 6.5-inch 720x1600px display, and the 5,000mAh battery with 10W charging.

The underlying processing is also the same Unisoc SC9863A.

The rear panel has a similar grooved design, but it"s made of plastic. It also features a capacitive fingerprint scanner in the upper middle of the back.

Nokia C22

The main camera is a step down at 13MP, but it"s flanked by the same 2MP macro snapper. The front-facing camera shares the 8MP resolution of the C32, and it can also double as a face scanner, even with a mask.

Like the Nokia C32, the C22 has a 3.5mm headphone jack, and wireless FM radio. The Nokia C22 comes with either 2GB or 3GB of RAM and 64GB storage. You can bump that through the microSD slot.

Nokia C22 sides

The Nokia C22 comes in Midnight Black and Sand, from €109.

Nokia G22

The Nokia G22 is the highest-end of Nokia"s new phones. It has the same 6.5-inch 720x1600px IPS LCD but it refreshes at a faster 90Hz rate.

The chipset of the G22 is nicer too - a Unisoc T606 with 4GB of RAM, and it makes a difference in performance - the G22 feels snappier than the C-series phones.

Nokia G22

The cameras are also nicer. The main camera is a 50MP f/1.8 unit with a larger sensor, and there are two 2MP sensors around it - a macro and a depth sensor (we"d say those are about on par).

Finally, on the specs side, the Nokia G22 has a larger 5,050mAh battery with faster 20W charging.

Nokia G22 front and back

What makes the Nokia G22 special is its repairability. Nokia made it more sustainable by taking steps to ease the change of the battery and the display.

A battery replacement of the Nokia G22 takes around 5 minutes and all the tools you need are the SIM ejector tool, a guitar pick and a screwdriver. Changing the display takes about 20 minutes, with a few extra tools. HMD partnered with iFixit to provide the tools, guide, and parts for you to replace the display, charging port or battery on the Nokia G22. Obviously, you can also take the G22 over to an authorized service center to do those repairs.

Nokia drastically reduced the steps needed to repair the G22 by removing the need to heat the back cover to remove it, and the need of alcohol to remove the battery.

Nokia G22 sides