HMD Global apologizes for misleading marketing posters of its new Pulse phones

HMD Global, makers of Nokia phones, has launched the very first smartphones under its own name: Pulse, Pulse+, and Pulse Pro. While these phones are good entry-level options, the official pictures of the devices made false promises about the display. More specifically, the Pulse and Pulse+ showcased a uniform bezel on all four corners.

However, as customers pointed out, the real phones have a noticeable big bezel on the chin. Seeing the customer reports, Lars Silberbauer, chief marketing officer at HMD Global, has issued a statement regarding the matter. Lars apologized by saying that the company didn’t have any “intention of depicting the device in a different way,” and the website now has the correct renderings of the smartphones.

For those who missed the launch of the HMD Pulse trio, all the phones fall in the  €100 to €200 range, and they all prioritize sustainability. The company says that the smartphones were designed with “Gen 1 repairability” in mind. This means you can purchase self-repair kits to swap out the core components, such as the screen and battery.

All three new HMD phones come with the same SoC, which is the Unisoc T606. It’s an entry-level processor with eight cores. The battery and display of the smartphones are also the same. They come with a 6.65-inch screen and a 5000 mAh battery. What mainly sets them apart is the camera.

The regular HMD Pulse is priced at €139 (around $150), and it features a 13 MP main camera on the back that’s paired with an auxiliary lens. It has an 8 MP selfie shooter on the front. The HMD Pulse+ bumps the primary camera to a 50 MP unit but has the same auxiliary lens and selfie camera. It’s priced at €160 (around $171).

As for the HMD Pulse Pro, the Android phone has the same 50 MP primary camera on the back, but it swaps the secondary auxiliary lens with a 2 MP depth sensor and has a 50 MP selfie camera on the front. Worth noting that the Pulse Pro can charge at 20 watts, while the others charge at 10 watts. It’s priced at €180 (around $193).

Basically, the three new HMD Global phones are more about repairability than specs. But if you don’t care much about repairability and want better specs at this price range, check out the Redmi Note 13 4G ( 128/6 GB curr. $171.23 on Amazon).