HMD Global is returning to the mid-price range of smartphones with its new Skyline model with a repairable structure, a triple rear camera and wireless charging.
According to the company, HMD Global’s own brand HMD is an abbreviation for Human Mobile Devices. The abbreviation ‘human’ is an important part of the company’s new HMD Skyline sales campaign.
New mid-priced HMD Skyline according to the company, brings people back to the center of phone design. In the case of Skyline, according to the manufacturer, it means a great camera, a new approach to self-repair and a digital ‘detox’, i.e. a cleaning course. More practically, the same means a 108 megapixel main camera, easily replaceable parts up to the screen, and the possibility to disable applications to facilitate digital breaks. In terms of design, the phone seems to borrow heavily from Nokia’s old playbooks from the days of the N9 and Lumios, although the company does not directly admit this.
Like its cheaper sister models, HMD has invested in repairability in the Skyline, or more precisely, to quote the company, “second generation repairability” for the first time. Without explaining where the figures were obtained from, the company says that changing the screen is 65% easier than in the Nokia G22, which was first advertised as repairable by HMD. The back cover of the phone is closed with a single locking screw, the opening of which cracks the cover enough to snap it off with the iFixit Opening Pick tool. After this, replacing the screen only requires removing a few additional screws. A bent charging port, for example, is also listed among easily replaceable parts.
On the front of the Skyline is a medium-sized 6.55-inch pOLED screen with FullHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 144 hertz. The Snapdragon 7s gen 2 system chip, which represents the slower end of Qualcomm’s 7 series, is responsible for the phone’s performance. The storage space options are 128 and 256 GB, which can be expanded with a memory card. As a special feature worth mentioning, a function button that can be customized by the user is placed on the left side of the phone. The 4600 mAh battery is charged with 33 watts of power under the USB PD standard or wirelessly with 15 watts of power under the recent Qi2 standard, also supporting magnetic charging devices.
The triple rear camera consists of a 108-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel telephoto camera with 2x focal length, and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera. Skyline’s camera supports Capture Fusion, which combines ultra-wide-angle and telephoto images with images taken by the main camera to bring out all the details. Taking selfies with the 50 megapixel front camera, on the other hand, can be done by pressing a button and looking at the camera with the power of three alternative gestures.
HMD Skyline technical features:
- Construction: Corning Gorilla Glass 3, IP54 rating
- 6,55” 2400×1080 pOLED (20:9, 395 PPI), 144 Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nit
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (4 x 2,4 GHz Cortex-A78 + 4 x 1,95 GHz A55, Adreno 710)
- Memory: 8 or 12 GB
- Storage: 128 or 256 GB, microSD card slot
- Verkot: 5G ( n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n71, n77, n78), LTE, Dual SIM (nano+e)
- Connections: Wifi 6e (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
- Paikannus: GPS/A-GPS, Galileo L1/L5 dual band, GLONASS, BDS
- Comrade:
- 108 megapixel main camera, hybrid OIS
- 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera
- 50 megapixel telephoto camera, 2x focal length compared to the main camera
- 50 megapixel selfie camera
- 4K / 30 fps video camera, gyro EIS
- Battery: 4600mAh, USB-C 2.0, 33W USB PD PPS charging, 15W Qi2 wireless charging (magnet)
- Android 14, 2 Android version updates & 3 years of security patches
HMD Skyline will go on sale immediately in Twisted Black and Neon Pink will follow after a few weeks’ delay. The 8 / 128 GB model is priced at 499 euros, 8 / 256 GB at 549 euros and 12 / 256 GB at 599 euros.
Source: E-mail bulletin, HMD Global
Source: www.io-tech.fi
