HMD has introduced its most powerful, feature-packed, self-branded smartphone to date, and it’s called the HMD Skyline.
The new HMD SKyline features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 — not the most powerful chipset to date, but the best you can have on any HMD-branded phone. You can pair it with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of expandable storage.
On the front, we have a fancy 6.5-inch OLED screen with an FHD+ resolution and an extra smooth 144Hz refresh rate. It also boasts a pixel-dense 50-megapixel selfie camera with autofocus.
The cameras on the back are packed, too. We got a 108-megapixel sensor for the main shooter, complete with optical image stabilization. It also managed to get a 50-megapixel 2x telephoto lens and 13-megapixel ultra-wide.
Of course, it has an array of AI features like AI Capture Fusion, making images extra sharp and detailed.
The Skyline also features the brand’s Gen 2 easy repairability design. You can now remove the back cover with just one screw so you can easily repair the screen, and charging port, or change battery modules using kits from iFixit, which also provides the spare parts.
For the software, the Skyline ships with a clean Android 14 operating system and is secured to receive 2 major OS upgrades and 3 years of security patches. It doesn’t have the longest update support, but it should be fine for the price.
For the battery, we have a relatively small 4,600mAh capacity with 33W wired and 15W magnetic wireless charging. It also has a design reminiscent of the Nokia N9 with its curved screen inside a boxy frame.
The HMD Skyline has a price of USD499 (~Php29,100). If you need to, you can get the display replacement for USD95 (~Php5,500), the battery for USD25 (~Php1,400), the battery cover for USD30 (~Php1,700), and the charging port for USD20 (~Php1,200). Getting your first spare parts should come with an iFixit kit that costs USD5 (~Php300).
HMD Skyline Specs
- Android 14
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.55-inch OLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~402ppi
- 144Hz refresh rate
- HDR10
- 2.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 octa-core processor
- 8GB/12GB RAM
- Adreno 710 GPU
- 128GB/256GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
- 50-megapixel front camera
- 108-megapixel (OIS, PDAF) + 50-megapixel (2x telephoto, PDAF) + 13-megapixel (ultra-wide) rear cameras, LED flash
- Stereo speakers
- IP54 dust and splash resistant
- Easy repairability design
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6e, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.2
- dual-band GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- NFC
- USB-C
- Colors: Neon Pink, Twisted Black
- 4,600mAh user-replaceable battery, 33W wired, 15W wireless, 5W reverse wireless charging