HMD Skyline review

Introduction and specs

The HMD Skyline might be the company's first hit in its post-Nokia era. The controversy abounds as the handset's design is in fact reminiscent of the good old Nokia N9. Still, it brings a couple of unique features to the table that will allow the device to stand out from the crowd.

First on this list is the easy DYI repairability. HMD designed the phone to be as easily repaired as possible - you need to remove just one screw to expose the internals and it takes no more than 10 minutes to replace a the battery or a broken screen. Moreover, HMD will supply you directly with spare parts or you can also find them at iFixit along with the needed iFixit standard repair tool kit. The prices for each component are pretty decent too.

The removable back still provides some protection against water and dust, though. The IP54 might not be the highest certification in the price bracket, but it provides some peace of mind in dusty or rainy environments.

HMD Skyline specs at a glance:

• Body: 159.8x76.0x8.9mm, 210g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame, glass back; Repair-it-yourself capable (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 (4x2.40 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.95 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.
• Video capture: 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.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); stereo speakers.

The handset is built around a 6.55-inch 144Hz OLED panel, making it medium-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 microSD card, which is also a rare find in the price range.

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

The whole system is powered by a 4,600 mAh battery supporting 33W wired charging with none of these numbers being particularly impressive.

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

As you see, we've got quite an unusual device on our hands so let's see what HMD's first smartphone looks like from up close.

Unboxing the HMD Skyline

The Skyline's retail box is somewhat modest. It contains only a color-matched USB-C to USB-C cable for charging and data transfer, but there is no charger bundled with our European unit.