Nokia: From Finland to China....Has anyone noticed a change in quality: Open Discussion

[peacefulberry]

(This thread was originally posted in the 920 section, but it has been bumped down so much LOL, I don't think anyone will see it, so I am re-posting in this section since the 928 is one of the Nokia devices I am very interested in getting next.)

Greetings all!

As I have previously posted, I am looking forward to my next set of family devices to be Nokia devices. The problem is that I haven't owned a Nokia device for many many years. I want to ask those of you who have had Nokia devices since the Finland days: Have you noticed a change in quality? Again, I am extremely interested in hearing from those who have owned Nokia devices for years, because you all have the Finland-made Nokia and China- made Nokia devices to compare. This is an open discussion...thanks in advance to all those that chime in.

 

[squire777]

I don't own too many Nokia devices to make a judgement on the build quality of Finland vs China but the current crop of devices isn't bad at all.

I will say that I think a lot of people experience a bit of a placebo effect when they see a "made in China" label and automatically assume that it will be bad build quality. Devices like phones are usually made through industrial processes that are similar throughout the world. Nokia probably employs the same QC strategies that they did in Finland as they do with their contractors in China.

 

[Bloobed]

Asking for personal experiences like this, is sure way to not get the right picture. You would need information on return-rates or Nokia-care numbers. Pretty sure it was a chinese factory which won Nokias internal quality award when they still had a factory in Finland. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[peacefulberry]

Asking for personal experiences like this, is sure way to not get the right picture. You would need information on return-rates or Nokia-care numbers. Pretty sure it was a chinese factory which won Nokias internal quality award when they still had a factory in Finland. I wouldn't worry about it.

I would love that info. Do you have links to any surveys or any other info? There are several members of the WP community that have been with nokia for years that can attest to the quality of manufacturing. I've seen comments here and there but have never seen a thread that dealt with this question directly. Thanks for your comment though.

 

[peacefulberry]

I've seen tons of comments regarding quality control issues. And since I don't own a recent Nokia I can't rightfully give an opinion, however I plan on buying my next set of family phones from Nokia without contract (aka, spend a lot of money LOL) so this issue is very important to me.

 

[rmichael75]

Well Nokia has been manufacturing phones around the world and not only Finland. So the issues are due to new design rather than where it is manufactured. May be they rushed it out just like how wp8 was rushed out of the gate..I think software issues are more than hardware issues I think. And it is not only Nokia to be blamed.

 

[Wacft]

I thought the 822 felt cheap. First Nokia WP I have held and it was disapointing. It works great but I was expecting better build quality.

 

[mad820]

I also think the Verizon variant is the worst looking of their range of WP8 devices. Compared to the normal version of the 820, and even to the 810, I think it has a horrible design. Just my opinion, of course

 

[independentvolume]

I also think the Verizon variant is the worst looking of their range of WP8 devices. Compared to the normal version of the 820, and even to the 810, I think it has a horrible design. Just my opinion, of course

Yep just your opinion. If I recall, the 822 is a budget phone that can be had free with contract. The innards are the same as the 920 as far as processor and ram go. It's built like a samsung though, that's for sure.

To the OP. No matter what the brand/company, when a new OS comes out there are hiccups. Everyone thought BB10 was going to be money because they "delayed it to get everything right". Yes, the 920 had/has it's quirks but so does every other phone out there. I will say that the 920 is one of the best built phones on the market imo. I can't wait for the 928.

 

[Wacft]

Yep just your opinion. If I recall, the 822 is a budget phone that can be had free with contract. The innards are the same as the 920 as far as processor and ram go. It's built like a samsung though, that's for sure.

To the OP. No matter what the brand/company, when a new OS comes out there are hiccups. Everyone thought BB10 was going to be money because they "delayed it to get everything right". Yes, the 920 had/has it's quirks but so does every other phone out there. I will say that the 920 is one of the best built phones on the market imo. I can't wait for the 928.

The 822 is a budget phone but not a low end phone. I currently have the trophy and though it is just an ugly black block it is solid. The thing is put together well and doesn't feel flimsy. The same cant be said for the 822. Nokia is known for quality. I can see the super cheap phones they make not having great build quality but the mid-range should. Just my opinion

 

[mad820]

Well, I wouldn't exactly call the L822 a budget phone. It's a phone that would be sold for about €500 (or probably 500$ also, because they almost never take conversion rates into account, lucky Americans) without a contract and is now being sold with very expensive contracts, so...

 

[Coreldan]

Asking for personal experiences like this, is sure way to not get the right picture. You would need information on return-rates or Nokia-care numbers. Pretty sure it was a chinese factory which won Nokias internal quality award when they still had a factory in Finland. I wouldn't worry about it.

The Finnish factory of Salo has also won those things several times before it was discontinued.

As said, most components are made in other countries. It was the final assembly that was done in Finland. However, for the average customer the final assembly does a lot in terms of feel of quality. Can't really go much into the detail with that though.

Also, the factory in Salo only really supplied phones to Europe, so Asia and America just about always had the china-made phones, so it's not like this was THAT drastic change. That said, as a Finn from Salo, it did mean a lot to me to know my phone was made just hundreds of meters from my home.

 

[Daniel Ratcliffe]

Please get over this made in china thing. They have better work ethics than white people anyway

Could you show me some proof of this please?

 

[Bloobed]

Also would like to point out that US Lumias are made in Mexico.

 

[hopmedic]

The 822 is a budget phone but not a low end phone. I currently have the trophy and though it is just an ugly black block it is solid. The thing is put together well and doesn't feel flimsy. The same cant be said for the 822. Nokia is known for quality. I can see the super cheap phones they make not having great build quality but the mid-range should. Just my opinion

I would submit to you that those of us who actually own the 822 would disagree that it is either budget or cheap. Yes, I got mine free on launch day, but that's saavy shopping, not a cheap phone. I am VERY happy with mine, and the only reason I'm going to pass it along to my wife when the 928 comes out is because I want top-end and she's not as geeky as me.

Also would like to point out that US Lumias are made in Mexico.

Why in the world are Mexicans stamping "Made in China" on them???

 

[Wacft]

I would submit to you that those of us who actually own the 822 would disagree that it is either budget or cheap. Yes, I got mine free on launch day, but that's saavy shopping, not a cheap phone. I am VERY happy with mine, and the only reason I'm going to pass it along to my wife when the 928 comes out is because I want top-end and she's not as geeky as me.

I never said it was cheap. I said it felt cheap and I even said it runs great. My mom owns the phone and that means I have to use a lot! And my mom was only going to buy a cheap/free phone which this one was both cheap for a while and then free so to me that puts it in the budget category. And AllThingsD would agree lol
Samsung ATIV Odyssey, Nokia Lumia 822 review - Bonnie Cha - Product Reviews - AllThingsD