HMD Skyline Review: Repair-it-Yourself Mid-range Phone

Greatest Costs At this time: HMD Skyline

$499.99

$499.99

$499.99

$499.99

HMD has spent 2024 establishing itself as a cellphone model in its personal proper, having beforehand launched mobiles underneath the way more recognisable Nokia branding. The Finnish firm has already launched the funds Pulse, Pulse Professional and Fusion this summer season, in addition to the extra sturdy – and dearer – XR21.

It has now additionally handled us to the Skyline, which sits in the midst of its vary and seeks to supply a robust suite of options for its £399.99/$499.9 price ticket. On prime of the repairability that characterises the remainder of this 12 months’s line, it boasts a 108Mp essential digicam lens, a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip, and a 6.55in pOLED show with a max 144Hz refresh fee.

Added to a 4,600mAh battery and a few user-friendly software program, it actually sounds prefer it might be a robust contender to be among the best mid-range telephones of the 12 months. Nonetheless, some drawbacks stop us from unreservedly recommending it, as we’ll element under.

Design & Construct

• Angular chassis with vivid colors
• Pin-hole selfie digicam
• IP54 ranking

It could divide opinion, however the HMD Skyline is undoubtedly a putting cellphone. It is available in three colors: Neon Pink, Twisted Black and Blue Topaz.

Our evaluation pattern sported the latter shade, which is a metallic mixture of blue with inexperienced that shimmers within the gentle as you flip it. Some might discover it a bit too daring, nevertheless it does not less than set the cellphone other than a number of the extra generic mid-range and funds Androids in the marketplace.

The cellphone’s aluminium body options sharp, angular corners, whereas its show has extra rounded edges and a pin-hole selfie digicam at top-centre. In the meantime, the cellphone’s rear witnesses an oblong rear digicam module that’s raised properly in opposition to the glass, housing the large and ultrawide lenses, in addition to the flashlight.

The remainder of the again is pleasingly minimal, with the HMD brand within the center and the same old ‘designed in x, made in y’ spiel you typically discover in small print on the backside.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

With a 6.55-inch display and a weight of 209.5g, the Skyline feels fairly substantial to carry. But it’s debatable that this solely provides to its attraction, giving it a way of high quality {that a} lighter mannequin would lack. I by no means discovered it too heavy or cumbersome, even when the overzealous fingerprint sensor (extra on that later) can power you to deal with and pocket it particularly methods.

Alternatively, one space the place the cellphone doesn’t appear too premium is sturdiness. Sure, HMD has designed the Skyline to be modular and repairable, however with solely an IP54 ranking (proof against splashes of water and mud) you don’t wish to be too cavalier with it.

Its display is manufactured with Gorilla Glass 3, nonetheless, though this iteration first emerged in 2013, so it’s a bit behind the instances.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

Display screen & Audio system

• 6.55-inch pOLED show
• 144Hz refresh fee
• Stereo audio system

For the value, the Skyline’s 6.55-inch pOLED display is one among its greatest options. The ‘p’ in pOLED stands for ‘polymer’, so the show is nearly the identical as an OLED equal, besides that it makes use of a plastic quite than glass substrate. This presents sturdiness benefits and likewise suits in with HMD’s ethos of offering a long-lasting, high-value cell.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

By way of the way it performs, the Skyline is an fulfilling cellphone on which to observe movies, browse the net and stare upon images. Colors are wealthy with out being spectacular, whereas the utmost 144Hz refresh fee makes scrolling and navigating remarkably clean.

It isn’t fairly as high-res as another reasonably priced Androids (e.g. OnePlus Nord 4 and Redmi Observe 13 Professional), nevertheless it does not less than match or beat others (e.g. Samsung Galaxy A35 5G).

Its peak brightness of 1000 nits isn’t fairly the very best yow will discover on this vary, however the display is completely viewable in most situations. Coupled with the comparatively giant measurement, I discovered watching Netflix fairly nice on the cellphone.

It clearly wasn’t as cinematic as a good-sized TV (or pill), however when mixed with its succesful stereo audio system, it greater than suffices when you have nothing bigger to observe on.

Specs & Efficiency

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor
• 8/12GB RAM and 128GB/256GB storage
• Micro-SD card slot

Whereas the extra cheap HMD Pulse and Pulse Professional home the underwhelming Unisoc T606 chipset, the Skyline comes outfitted with the marginally extra succesful Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2.

The latter seems on such different telephones because the Redmi Observe 13 Professional, Poco X6 and Motorola Edge 50 Fusion, so it has established a fame as a reliable workhorse of the mid-range bracket. And when paired with both 8GB or 12GB of RAM, the chipset does a superb job of dealing with the sorts of duties most individuals shopping for a mid-range cellphone will need it to deal with.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

The cellphone typically boots up and masses rapidly, whilst you can open and run apps with a minimal of lag. Primary stuff similar to studying emails, sending messages on WhatsApp and watching YouTube are greater than snug for the cellphone, whereas most Android video games will run easily on the system.

In fact, the cellphone does decelerate when taking part in high-end titles similar to Genshin Impression and Area of Valor, however for the sorts of fundamental video games homeowners of the Skyline usually tend to play, the cellphone is serviceable.

Whereas the HMD Skyline’s processing energy isn’t fairly premium-level, it does present a microSD card slot so that you can prime up its storage, in contrast to sure flagship telephones (e.g. the Samsung Galaxy S24 collection).

By default, it comes with both 128GB or 256GB of inner storage, relying on which mannequin you pay for, so using a micro-SD card could also be vital for heavier customers. Its slot accepts playing cards with a capability of as much as 512GB, so most homeowners ought to handle high quality.

HMD Skyline benchmarks

Cameras

• 108Mp twin pixel essential rear digicam
• 50Mp telephoto and 13Mp ultrawide lenses
• 50Mp selfie digicam

Cameras are one of many main capabilities of telephones as of late, so we’re happy to report that the Skyline punches above its weight in terms of pictures. It actually performs higher than the opposite gadgets HMD has launched this 12 months, with its three rear lenses all proving helpful to various levels.

These three lenses are a 108Mp large lens, a 13Mp ultrawide and a 50Mp telephoto with 2x optical zoom. This instantly units it other than the Pulse collection and the HMD Fusion, which got here with a most of two rear lenses. Whereas further sensors might be considerably tokenistic on funds or mid-range telephones, I used to be capable of take pleasing footage with all three.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

With the 108Mp large lens, images are clear, vibrant and detailed. I discovered the default saturation and brightness of pics to be properly balanced, with panorama pictures typically trying pure and wealthy. A lot the identical goes for indoor and nearer pictures, with the primary lens additionally capable of seize individuals (and animals) in a flattering but convincing gentle.

And whereas the telephoto and ultrawide lenses aren’t fairly as spectacular, they do have their makes use of. The telephoto lens particularly is available in very useful when needing to seize extra distant topics, with the 2x optical zoom offering sufficient readability and color. You’ll be able to bump it as much as a 3x or 4x digital zoom, if you actually need to, however it will convey diminishing returns.

It’s additionally pleasing to report that the 50Mp front-facing digicam does a superb job for social media followers. Not solely do most selfies often come out very effectively, however you may have enjoyable with posture-based triggers for setting off a timer. I’ve by no means made so many peace and coronary heart indicators in all my life.

Battery Life & Charging

• 4,600mAh battery
• 33W wired charging
• 15W wi-fi charging

For a cellphone that encourages you to exchange its battery within the not-too-distant future, the HMD Skyline manages to final for greater than lengthy sufficient between prices. Its 4,600mAh cell will simply final most customers greater than a day, even once you benefit from the tremendous clean 144Hz refresh fee.

Extra economical customers (notably those that use the usual 60Hz refresh fee) will in all probability survive right into a second day, as long as they follow extra fundamental capabilities. I typically charged each day, though I used to be placing the cellphone via its paces, operating at 144Hz, testing numerous Android video games and watching some YouTube and Netflix.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

The cellphone additionally helps as much as 33W quick charging, though solely a USB-C cable is offered out of the field. You’ll subsequently should both purchase an official 30W charger from HMD for £19.99/$29.99 or make do with no matter chargers you’ve got already at house.

In my case, this meant connecting the system to my iMac for the quickest speeds, nevertheless it wasn’t notably spectacular. I went from 0% battery to 33% in about half an hour, which is neither unhealthy nor notably spectacular. Nonetheless, battery life is first rate sufficient, so that you received’t be recharging too typically.

HMD additionally claims that the Skyline’s battery will undergo 800 recharges earlier than you start to note any decline in cost capability. And as we’ve talked about on quite a few events, you may fairly simply substitute the battery as soon as its stamina does start to wane.

HMD has partnered with the iFixit department of restore retailers on this regard, with new Skyline batteries costing £22.99/$29.99. That is actually fairly lower than the price of a brand new cellphone.

Software program & Apps

• Android 14
• Two years of core Android upgrades
• Three years of safety upgrades

However having praised the HMD Skyline’s repairability, that is the place we criticise the cellphone for undermining one among its essential promoting factors. Sure, it’s nice that you would be able to substitute the battery, show and different components of the cellphone, however its general longevity is diminished by the truth that it should obtain solely two years of core Android updates (and three years of safety patches).

This can be a disgrace, as a result of some customers might not even want to exchange their batteries or screens earlier than the system begins lacking out on new updates. And whereas some customers might fortunately stick to the Skyline’s last core software program replace (Android 16) for fairly a while, it will be harmful to make use of the cellphone after safety patches cease arriving.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

Having complained about this, it needs to be said that HMD’s tackle Android has a lot to advocate it. The house display’s structure is evident and intuitive, it’s simple to customize screens and the notification shade to your liking, whereas the facet buttons present a number of helpful shortcuts (e.g. opening the flashlight and digicam). There’s additionally a minimal of bloatware, which is one thing that may hamper Androids within the funds and mid-range classes.

It’s additionally value mentioning HMD’s Detox mode, a zen-like do-not-disturb mode that guarantees to simplify your relationship with the system. It’s a well-meaning addition that allows you to block notifications and disappear apps for set intervals of time. You’ll be able to personalise it in accordance with which specific apps you wish to keep away from, with the characteristic enabling you to mainly shut down your complete cellphone if you need.

Conversely, one slight flaw is that the Skyline’s side-mounted fingerprint sensor is a tad oversensitive. It took me some time to show myself to not put any of my digits on or close to it when choosing up or placing down the cellphone, and this may be fairly awkward on condition that the sensor is kind of in the midst of the system’s right-hand facet. Nonetheless, you may deactivate it as a mechanism for unlocking your cellphone, though arguably this makes it much less safe.

Value & Availability

The HMD Skyline has an RRP of £399.99 within the UK, though you will want to pay £479.99 if you need the 8GB/256GB model or £499.99 if you need the 12GB/256GB mannequin.

The Skyline can be out there within the US, though the one possibility out there throughout the Pond is the 8GB/256GB mannequin. This at present retails for $499.99, with HMD not providing any low cost via its web site on the time of writing.

The cellphone isn’t out there on contract, so that you’ll have to purchase outright and pair with a SIM deal.

So far as mid-range alternate options go, the OnePlus Nord 4 has an RRP of £429, although it’s not out there within the US. For choices which are additionally out there there, contemplate the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G, the Google Pixel 8a and the Nothing Telephone (2a) Plus.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

Do you have to purchase the HMD Skyline?

The HMD Skyline is an bold mid-range cellphone that will get most issues proper, but additionally arguably doesn’t fairly achieve its essential ambition.

It feels and appears pleasing, has dependable cameras, a long-lasting battery, a clean show, and succesful efficiency. Nonetheless, its openness to fast components replacements is undermined by its brief lifespan so far as core Android updates go.

Alternatively, some would possibly counter that mid-range telephones aren’t meant to be owned for too lengthy. On this case, homeowners will discover loads to maintain them completely happy till the cessation of recent patches forces them to improve.

Specs

• 6.55-inch pOLED (2400×1080) 20:9, 144Hz
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2
• 8/12GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 128/256GB RAM UFS 4.0 inner storage;
• Cameras:
• 108Mp essential/large sensor
• 50Mp telephoto
• 13Mp ultrawide
• 50Mp entrance dealing with
• Aspect-mounted fingerprint scanner
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4GHz+5GHz
• Twin SIM (Nano-SIM, eSIM)
• Bluetooth 5.2
• 4,600mAh battery
• 33W wired charging, 15W wi-fi
• 159.8 x 76 x 8.9 mm
• 209.5g