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HMD Global Starts Manufacturing in Europe with the ‘Made in Hungary’ Nokia XR21
- thepangolino 3y agoI loved my Nokia N9 made in Finland. Great hardware and the UI was a gem!
- mimsee 3y agoI wonder where they've set the bar in terms of security. Are the phones 99% manufactured in China, but ship two pieces, screw them together and call it 'Made in EU'. Are the phones shipped in some tamper evident bags or have anti-interdiction like Librem 5[0]? Have they build any advanced security features for the phone, or is it mainly for ticking a box in some compliance 'yes yes, a local made phone'. [0]: https://puri.sm/posts/anti-interdiction-on-the-librem-5-usa/ https://puri.sm/posts/anti-interdiction-on-the-librem-5-usa/
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Maakuth 3y agoThe current HMD models are being manufactured by Foxconn in China and there's also a wide range of Foxconn middleware running on the phones. Foxconn also has a factory in Hungary, so probably the manufacturing partner is the same for these European made models too. I don't know if there's any difference in the security posture.
- stuaxo 3y agoThe Nokia phones were "Android One" at least when the one I'm typing this was made so should be straightforward Android. The main change I do is to use Niagara launcher and Firefox browser.
- adev_ 3y agoFoxconn is Taiwanese. I would take Taiwanese hardware made on European ground over stuff made in the PRC anytime.
- nwah1 3y agoTrue, but Foxconn has factories in the PRC
- gen3 3y agoPurism doesn't do anything to secure the connection between their supplier and themselves, so I don't think I would consider them the best example: https://www.reddit.com/r/Purism/comments/my8u2l/psa_librem_14_units_appear_to_have_been_modified/?rdt=46823 https://www.reddit.com/r/Purism/comments/my8u2l/psa_librem_1...
- CalRobert 3y agoI have a g22 and strongly dislike it. It's the phone that finally convinced me to go to Apple. Though I'd prefer if Google-free Android were practical.
- barjt 3y ago[dead]
- g232089 3y agoWhat didn't you like about it?
- euniceee3 3y agoWhat other reasons would make you leave the iPhone beyond the Google decoupling?
- jacooper 3y agoPixel + grapheneOS, the most practical privacy phone you can get.
- kspacewalk2 3y agoA budget Android phone convinced you to go to a manufacturer whose phones start at about double the price of that budget Android phone, for a basic (SE) phone? You'd prefer a Google-free Android, presumably because it would put you more in control, but you're convinced to go the exact opposite way to a completely locked-down platform? It's a little bit confusing, is all.
- CalRobert 3y agoWell, I think what I want _is_ a basic phone. I want a low powered cheap phone that runs an operating system that isn't openly hostile to me. I don't want fancy, big, etc. But I can't find a cheap basic android phone that isn't also user-hostile. I don't _like_ iOS but my options are * faff about with Google-free android, not be able to use banking apps, etc. * Give up and accept google's terms * Give up and accept Apple's terms I really wish Ubuntu phone or Firefox OS had taken off https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_OS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_OS And Apple's seem better.
- wkat4242 3y agoMaking a "European Edition" in a country that's constantly fighting to undermine the EU (and EU values like LGBTI+ rights and democracy), great idea. Definitely not buying this one. Source for the democracy claim: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/15/hungary-is-no-longer-a-full-democracy-says-european-parliament https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/15/hungary-is-no-... PS: > “Unfortunately, due to our customers being in various security-conscious industries, we’re not allowed to tell anyone which countries we are producing these devices in, simply to keep it as secure as possible,” HMD Global chief marketing officer Lars Silberbauer said at the time. Umm what? "Made in xxxx" documentation with a product is actually required by many security-conscious institutions such as customs.
- diggan 3y agoWasn't that a big selling point of capitalism anyways? Have trade connections with even your enemy so you're less likely to start wars with them. Maybe this is a similar strategy that could get Hungary to undermine EU less because of the new economic connections?
- anonzzzies 3y agoThe article (and possibly the press release) seems to avoid EU in favour of Europe. But yes, it's not a great choice as far as countries is concerned; I think most countries would vote for them to leave if that were an option.
- adev_ 3y ago> Making a "European Edition" in a country that's constantly fighting to undermine the EU Almost all phones are currently produced in a country that genocide some of its minorities, support child labor and claim publicly the right to invade/obliterate his neighbor. And that does not seem to disturb you much ? We need more Silicon and electronics made in Europe. Hungary is definitively not a democracy paradise nor a human right haven, but it is already significantly better than anything we do have right now.
- wkat4242 3y ago> Almost all phones are currently produced in a country that genocide some of its minorities, support child labor and claim publicly the right to invade/obliterate his neighbor. And that does not seem to disturb you much ? It does, yes. My phone was made in Thailand by a Korean company but indeed a lot of the supply chain involves China. > We need more Silicon and electronics made in Europe. Agreed, it just feels like Hungary gets rewarded for its actions here. And making it a proud "European Edition" in a country that is so contrary is just a bit extra sour.
- PappGaborSandor 3y ago[dead]
- hocuspocus 3y agoSadly after a good start and several models running Android One, I feel the current Nokia HMD lineup is a bit underwhelming. Nowadays Samsung obliterates the competition in the 200~400€ price range, at least in dimensions that matter to me: display quality, decent camera and battery life, 4/5 years of security updates.
- FirmwareBurner 3y ago>Nowadays Samsung obliterates the competition in the 200~400€ price range, at least in dimensions that matter to me: display quality, decent camera and battery life, 4/5 years of security updates. This. The A-series like A34 and A54 are simply unbeatable in Europe for those price ranges and budgets most consumers have set for phones. Almost nobody I personally know spends €1000+ Euros on an iPhone or Samsung S/Ultra series when that's 1-2 months rent, but granted I don't live in ultra wealthy Norway or Switzerland. Here's a well kept secret, if you want a modern 5G phone with removable battery, water and dust resistance, headphone jack, micro-SD card, PTT, extra loud speakers, then get the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro. It's crazy how unknown this phone is yet ticks almost all the right boxes most Android users are screaming for. All these series seem to be virtually unknown in the US though, probably to not cannibalize their much more expensive S/Ultra series in the wealthy market that is the US where nobody bats an eye at ~$1000+ phones.
- kspacewalk2 3y agoI'm firmly in the mid-range segment of the market, and made some good and some not so good choices over the years (including a Nokia with Android One for my mom, which was not a good choice because of the many hardware issues). The A52 I currently use has been hands down the best one, closely followed by a Pixel 4A for my wife. I don't love the whole One UI thing, and would prefer Android One or whatever the stock Android is called these days, but it's just a polished product, in terms of hardware, software and security updates.
- hocuspocus 3y agoI made my dad buy a Pixel 7a on sale at €290 but that was fairly exceptional, I haven't seen it this cheap again. Get a Galaxy A5x has been my go-to recommendation otherwise.
- aitchnyu 3y agoHow is the quality story of Nokia nowadays? I was disappointed a local shop here in India tried to replace the battery and board with the usb port and got no improvement. The back glass also shattered with one fall. So much for the 1100 days nostalgia.
- input_sh 3y agoThe XR line is their "rugged" line, it should be somewhat more resistant to falls than your average smartphone. I'm guessing that's why they chose this model for this enterprise push.
- treprinum 3y agoI believe the only chance for EU to compete with China was to move all manufacturing to cheap post-soviet areas and build local Shenzhens there with high logistical integration. That ship seems to have sailed as wealth extraction was more important and now EU is falling into irrelevance globally (no meaningful GDP growth since 2008 whereas US and China's GDP exploded in the same timeframe).
- malermeister 3y agoThe chance now is expansion. Western Balkans, one day Ukraine. Lots to figure out there though.
- flavius29663 3y agoI think that's what they tried to do, and partially succeeded. There is a lot of manufacturing happening in Eastern Europe. Not to the scale of China, of course, local bickering and very strong red-tape can have a dampening effect on investments.
- rakoo 3y agoGDP growth is not the indicator we should be looking at now. It is not compatible anymore with a viable planet for the years to come.
- nixass 3y ago> chance for EU to compete with China was to move all manufacturing to cheap post-soviet areas Which areas in EU (or even Europe) would that be? Baltic states hardly cheap anymore (or won't be soon), Caucasus is hot mess and -stans are nowhere near the EU as well as their neighborhood is unstable as it can be