HMD Skyline review – GSMArena.com tests | Infinium-tech

Introduction and description

HMD Skyline could be the company’s first hit after Nokia. The controversy is also there because the design of the handset is really reminiscent of the good old Nokia N9. Still, this device comes with some unique features that will help it stand out from the crowd.

First on this list is easy DYI repair. HMD has designed the phone to be as easy to repair as possible – you only need to remove one screw to expose the internal parts and replacing a battery or a broken screen takes no more than 10 minutes. Furthermore, HMD will supply you with spare parts directly or you can also find them on iFixit along with the required iFixit standard repair tool kit. The prices of each component are also quite decent.

However, the removable back still offers some protection from water and dust. IP54 is perhaps not the highest certification in the price bracket, but it does offer peace of mind in dusty or rainy environments.

HMD Skyline features at a glance:

• Body: 159.8×76.0x8.9mm, 210g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), Aluminium frame, Glass back; Self-repairable (display, back cover, battery and charging port repairs), IP54, dust and splash resistant.
• Display: 6.55″ P-OLED, 144Hz, 1000 nits (peak), HDR10, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM7435-AB Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (4×2.40 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×1.95 GHz Cortex-A55); Adreno 710.
• Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM; microSDXC.
• OS/Software: Android 14, up to 2 major Android upgrades.
• rear camera: Wide (main): 108 MP, PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 50 MP, PDAF, 2x optical zoom; Ultra Wide Angle: 13 MP.
• front camera: 50 MP, (wide), AF.
• Record video: rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, Gyro-EIS; front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 4600mAh; 33W wired, PD3.0 PPS, QC4, 15W wireless, Qi2, 5W reverse wireless.
• Connectivity: 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 6e; BT 5.2, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive; NFC; 3.5mm jack.
• various: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Stereo speakers.

The handset is built around a 6.55-inch 144Hz OLED panel, making it mid-sized by today’s standards, and the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 is tasked with driving all those pixels. The 128GB base storage can be expanded via a microSD card, which is a rare find in this price range.

The camera system is pretty robust, with HMD choosing to go with a 108MP main unit, a 13MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP dedicated 2x zoom camera. There’s a 50MP selfie snapper on the front with autofocus – another rare feature in the segment.

The whole system is powered by a 4,600mAh battery that supports 33W wired charging, but neither of these numbers are particularly impressive.

Still, the Skyline supports 15W wireless charging and can also charge other devices wirelessly at up to 5W. This is great, as only the top models are usually equipped with reverse wireless charging.

As you can see, we have a very unusual device in our hands, so let’s take a closer look at what HMD’s first smartphone looks like.

Unboxing the HMD Skyline

The Skyline’s retail box is somewhat bare bones. It just comes with a color-matched USB-C to USB-C cable for charging and data transfer, but there’s no charger bundled with our European unit.