In 2021 there were an estimated 6.37 billion smartphones out in the wild globally, with this number expected to grow to 7.33 billion by 2025.

This is why recycled materials and extended support can make the difference when it comes to how many years you can use a smartphone before replacing it with a new one.

Power-wise, phones these days have more than enough processing power to keep up with day to day tasks, even after being used for two or three years, a kind of power reserve that very few enjoyed a few years ago.

Instead of focusing on making the phones more powerful, companies want to make them more energy efficient and they begin implementing recycled materials in their chassis.

Two such examples are Samsung and Apple, who have been taking the sustainable materials approach lately, as they implement recycled plastics and aluminum in their devices.

Durability and looks

HMD Global's Nokia also started adopting the same strategy with one of its latest devices, the Nokia X30 5G, which is made with 100% recycled aluminum and 64.5% recycled plastic on the back.

I spent a week so far with this device and I can tell you that it is indeed an impressive product, given that Nokia didn't focus too much on making expensive devices lately.

The box of the phone is also made of recycled materials and Nokia explicitly encourages users to recycle their old smartphone, if they previously owned one.

In it you will find a cable, some paper work and that's it, no fancy charger here, which was expected from a sustainability-focused phone.

In order to make the terminal as durable as possible, the company decided to protect the front panel with Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus, one of the tougher coatings that we don't see often in the price range of sub 400 USD.

Nokia was well known for making durable and strong phones back in the day and it seems like the manufacturer has gone back to the roots with the X30 5G, making it one of the sturdier offerings in the lineup.

Despite the fact that the team chose to use recycled materials, this doesn't show in the real world, quite the contrary.

The materials feel very well polished and put together and if you didn't know from the get-go, you couldn't tell that the aluminum and plastic are re-purposed.

Even the camera island is made of the same recycled aluminum and it gives the phone an overall premium feel, making it seem more expensive than it actually is.

The buttons also feel clicky and precise, with the screen being impressive at repelling fingerprints.

Build quality wise, it is clear that Nokia put a lot of effort here and the final product is a smartphone that people will appreciate for its excellent durability and its modern looks.

The promise of sustainability

Furthermore, Nokia also has a 3-3-3 promise when it comes to the X30 5G, meaning that the phone will receive 3 Android OS upgrades, up to version 15, three years of monthly security patches and three years of warranty, which is something you don't see often at all.

This means that you could use this phone for an extended period of time without having to worry about certain parts failing or that the phone will become obsolete software-wise.

The battery of the device is another strong suit, since it is able to last two days of moderate use, according to the manufacturer, a claim that is true in my testing.

I was only able to take it down from 100% to 5 percentage points when I was using it in an unreasonably heavy way, watching movie after movie and playing a ton of games on it.

While the battery cell size isn't as impressive as other phones in this price range, Nokia optimized its performance very well, which is why it is able to last this long between charges.

This also means that it should last a good amount even after a few years of wear and tear, further contributing to the durability of the phone and not making you wish for a new device.

Charging the phone takes anywhere from one hour to an hour and a half, depending on the charger that you are using.

Conclusions

Overall, the experience of using the Nokia X30 5G was more than pleasant and I was impressed by how well the phone performed and felt in the hand, which means that I can recommend this to someone who's looking into buying a new phone that will last at least three years without issues.

This phone isn't meant just for the sustainability-focused people, but also for the users who want a premium feeling smartphone that can get the job done without breaking a sweat in most scenarios.

I hope that more manufacturers take the recycled materials approach for their future devices and that they will extend the software/hardware support for their devices, so that the smartphone industry will become more environmentally-friendly.