HMD Skyline review: Repair-it-yourself mid-range phone

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

It has now additionally handled us to the Skyline, which sits in the midst of its vary and seeks to supply a powerful 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 primary 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 definitely sounds prefer it may very well be a powerful contender to be top-of-the-line mid-range telephones of the 12 months. Nonetheless, some drawbacks forestall us from unreservedly recommending it, as we’ll element beneath.

Design & Construct

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

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

Our evaluate pattern sported the latter shade, which is a metallic mixture of blue with inexperienced that shimmers within the mild as you flip it. Some could discover it a bit too daring, however it does a minimum of set the telephone aside from a number of the extra generic mid-range and finances Androids available on the market.

The telephone’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 telephone’s rear witnesses an oblong rear digicam module that’s raised properly in opposition to the glass, housing the extensive 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 usually discover in small print on the backside.

With a 6.55-inch display screen and a weight of 209.5g, the Skyline feels fairly substantial to carry. But it’s debatable that this solely provides to its enchantment, 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 drive you to deal with and pocket it specifically methods.

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

Its display screen 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 & Audio system

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

For the value, the Skyline’s 6.55-inch pOLED display screen is considered one of its finest options. The ‘p’ in pOLED stands for ‘polymer’, so the show is sort of the identical as an OLED equal, besides that it makes use of a plastic somewhat than glass substrate. This gives sturdiness benefits and in addition matches in with HMD’s ethos of offering a long-lasting, high-value cell.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

When it comes to the way it performs, the Skyline is an pleasant telephone on which to observe movies, browse the online and stare upon images. Colors are wealthy with out being spectacular, whereas the utmost 144Hz refresh fee makes scrolling and navigating remarkably easy.

It isn’t fairly as high-res as another reasonably priced Androids (e.g. OnePlus Nord 4 and Redmi Notice 13 Professional), however it does a minimum of match or beat others (e.g. Samsung Galaxy A35 5G).

Its peak brightness of 1000 nits isn’t fairly the best you will discover on this vary, however the display screen is completely viewable in most circumstances. Coupled with the comparatively massive measurement, I discovered watching Netflix fairly nice on the telephone.

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 geared up with the marginally extra succesful Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2.

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

Simon Chandler/Foundry

The telephone typically boots up and masses shortly, when you can open and run apps with a minimal of lag. Fundamental stuff comparable to studying emails, sending messages on WhatsApp and watching YouTube are greater than snug for the telephone, whereas most Android video games will run easily on the machine.

In fact, the telephone does decelerate when taking part in high-end titles comparable to Genshin Influence and Enviornment of Valor, however for the sorts of primary video games homeowners of the Skyline usually tend to play, the telephone 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, not like sure flagship telephones (e.g. the Samsung Galaxy S24 sequence).

By default, it comes with both 128GB or 256GB of inner storage, relying on which mannequin you pay for, so the usage of 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 superb.

HMD Skyline benchmarks

Cameras

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

Cameras are one of many major features of telephones today, so we’re happy to report that the Skyline punches above its weight relating to pictures. It definitely performs higher than the opposite units HMD has launched this 12 months, with its three rear lenses all proving helpful to various levels.

These three lenses are a 108Mp extensive lens, a 13Mp ultrawide and a 50Mp telephoto with 2x optical zoom. This instantly units it aside from the Pulse sequence and the HMD Fusion, which got here with a most of two rear lenses. Whereas additional sensors will be considerably tokenistic on finances or mid-range telephones, I used to be in a position to take pleasing footage with all three.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

With the 108Mp extensive 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 principle lens additionally in a position to seize individuals (and animals) in a flattering but convincing mild.

And whereas the telephoto and ultrawide lenses aren’t fairly as spectacular, they do have their makes use of. The telephoto lens specifically is available in very useful when needing to seize extra distant topics, with the 2x optical zoom offering sufficient readability and color. You may bump it as much as a 3x or 4x digital zoom, if you really want to, however this can deliver diminishing returns.

It’s additionally pleasing to report that the 50Mp front-facing digicam does job for social media followers. Not solely do most selfies normally come out very properly, 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 telephone that encourages you to switch its battery within the not-too-distant future, the HMD Skyline manages to final for greater than lengthy sufficient between fees. Its 4,600mAh cell will simply final most customers greater than a day, even while you make the most of the tremendous easy 144Hz refresh fee.

Extra economical customers (significantly those that use the usual 60Hz refresh fee) will most likely survive right into a second day, as long as they persist with extra primary features. I typically charged on daily basis, though I used to be placing the telephone by its paces, operating at 144Hz, testing varied Android video games and watching some YouTube and Netflix.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

The telephone additionally helps as much as 33W quick charging, though solely a USB-C cable is supplied 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 gotten already at house.

In my case, this meant connecting the machine to my iMac for the quickest speeds, however it wasn’t significantly spectacular. I went from 0% battery to 33% in about half an hour, which is neither dangerous nor significantly spectacular. Nonetheless, battery life is respectable sufficient, so that you received’t be recharging too usually.

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 exchange the battery as soon as its stamina does start to wane.

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

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 telephone for undermining considered one of its primary promoting factors. Sure, it’s nice that you could exchange the battery, show and different components of the telephone, however its general longevity is lowered by the truth that it can 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 could not even want to switch their batteries or screens earlier than the machine begins lacking out on new updates. And whereas some customers could fortunately follow the Skyline’s remaining core software program replace (Android 16) for fairly a while, it will be harmful to make use of the telephone after safety patches cease arriving.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

Having complained about this, it ought to be acknowledged that HMD’s tackle Android has a lot to suggest it. The house display screen’s structure is evident and intuitive, it’s simple to customize screens and the notification shade to your liking, whereas the aspect 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 finances 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 machine. It’s a well-meaning addition that lets you block notifications and disappear apps for set intervals of time. You may personalise it based on which specific apps you need to keep away from, with the characteristic enabling you to mainly shut down your total telephone if you’d like.

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 telephone, and this may be fairly awkward provided that the sensor is kind of in the midst of the machine’s right-hand aspect. Nonetheless, you may deactivate it as a mechanism for unlocking your telephone, though arguably this makes it much less safe.

Value & Availability

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

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

The telephone 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 options go, the OnePlus Nord 4 has an RRP of £429, although it’s not out there within the US. For choices which can be additionally out there there, contemplate the Samsung Galaxy A35 5G, the Google Pixel 8a and the Nothing Telephone (2a) Plus.

Simon Chandler/Foundry

Must you purchase the HMD Skyline?

The HMD Skyline is an formidable mid-range telephone that will get most issues proper, but in addition arguably doesn’t fairly reach its primary ambition.

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

Alternatively, some may counter that mid-range telephones aren’t meant to be owned for too lengthy. On this case, homeowners will discover a lot to maintain them completely satisfied 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 primary/extensive 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