HMD Skyline launches with premium mid-range specs and Gen2 repairability

HMD, the Finnish brand known for Nokia-branded smartphones, has announced the Skyline as its latest Android smartphone. The HMD Skyline arrives with a design that evokes nostalgia, thanks to its similarity to the early generation Nokia Lumia smartphones. It also packs some interesting specs, and like the Nokia G22, it is self-repairable.

While previous HMD-branded smartphones have launched with entry-level specs, the HMD Skyline packs specifications that put it firmly in the mid-range category, with a few not even available on premium smartphones. Available in Neon Pink and Twisted Black, the HMD Skyline has a 6.55-inch pOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and a Full HD+ resolution. There's Gorilla Glass 3 over the display which has a peak brightness of 1000 nits.

Unlike the HMD Pulse Pro (curr. €166 on Amazon.de) which has a Unisoc T606 chipset, the Skyline is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. Buyers will have the choice of three configurations - 8+128GB, 8+256GB, and 12+256GB, and can add up to an extra 512GB of storage via the MicroSD card slot. The phone also has a fingerprint scanner on the side, Face Unlock, dual SIM support (Nano + eSIM), and a customizable button on the left.

The cameras are great on paper too. The primary rear camera is a 108MP sensor with OIS and there is a 13MP ultrawide angle camera and a 50MP telephoto camera, too. The front camera is a 50MP sensor with autofocus and eye tracking. Camera features include OZO Spatial Audio capture, 4K video recording, Tele Capture Fusion, and up to 4x zoom.

The HMD Skyline ships with a 4600mAh replaceable battery that provides up to 48 hours of usage. It supports 33W fast charging (Quick Charge 4.0 and Power Delivery 3.0) as well as 15W Qi2 magnetic wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging. Sadly, buyers will have to purchase a charging brick separately as one is not included in the box.

The HMD Skyline ships with Android 14 and will receive 2 OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates. That is disappointing not only because of its price but because rivals such as the Pixel 8a (curr. $449 on Amazon) and the OnePlus Nord 4 offer better software support. The former will receive 7 OS upgrades and 7 years of security updates while the Nord 4 will receive 4 OS upgrades and 6 years of security updates. The software experience is practically a stock version, and HMD Global promises that a Digital Detox feature is coming soon. This feature will let you block social media notifications while you focus on work or study.

While the HMD Skyline disappoints in terms of software support, it makes up for it in hardware support. The phone boasts Gen2 repairability which means owners can easily repair the phone at home by simply popping off the back cover and removing some screws where applicable. They will be able to purchase a replacement screen, battery, battery cover, and USB-C port from HMD. The HMD Skyline will start at £399 in the UK, €499 in Europe, and $499 in the US.