HMD Global announced the successor of the Nokia 8.3 5G, or their first hardware-rich and pretty powerful midranger. The phone looks like it is a baby of the Nokia Lumia 920 and 925, thanks to the soft side lines and straight-cut top and bottom lines of the aluminium frame.
The phone is bringing several new features rooted deep in Nokia’s history, although we are seeing HMD’s take on the midrange market. The features that make the Skyline stand out are, first, its design. We asked Raun Forsyth (VP of Design, Human Mobile Devices) about the design of this phone, and this is what he had to say:
“Put simply, I’m excited. This phone is bold, it’s got tons of attitude with its hard square corners and comes in slick twisted black or vibrant neon pink. The hard square edges are partly aesthetic, providing a confident fresh look but also functional because it gives the device a more solid structure – it’s not a soft generic bezel that goes into your pocket.
“HMD Skyline’s inside story is just as compelling as its outside. When it comes to phone design, everything is from the inside out. We negotiate every mm within a phone striving for good bones…if we get the inside right, the outside takes care of itself. This device advances mobile phone repairability to the next level, we’re calling it Gen 2 repairability and it makes phone repair easy. We’ve designed a simple camshaft spring that allows you to simply turn one screw 90 degrees to pop open the back cover. Simple yet beautiful, we believe HMD Skyline opens a new era in smartphone design.”
Let’s move on to hardware. Then there are things like LG’s pOLED screen, Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor, a camera setup that includes a 108MP hybrid OIS triple rear camera that offers Capture Fusion, 4x lossless zoom and Portrait Mode for stunning 50mm shots with a natural bokeh effect, Night Mode 3.0, and a 50MP selfie camera with eye-tracking capability, wireless charging with reverse charging, a programmable button seen in the Nokia XR series, Gen 2 easy repairability, and some software tweaks like a Detox mode.
So, the camera is pimped up on the Skyline. A 50MP AF selfie has eye-tracking for making portraits look good. The main 108MP sensor is actually the Hybrid OIS main camera that also uses a 50MP telephoto for 4x zoom and 13MP UW for the perfect 0.5x selfies or landscapes. It will be interesting to see how well it actually works.
Here are some shots taken by celebrity photographer Rosanna Elettra on HMD Skyline (size reduced to save some server space):
Skyline is finally bringing a good and 1000-nits bright pOLED display, boasting a 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10 video playback, and stereo speakers. I am a bit disappointed that the screen is protected with just Gorilla Glass 3, but that is why it is a bit cheaper at iFixit. Also, the processor is a more modern and capable Snapdragon 7s Gen 2.
There is also support for eSIM since Skyline is an eSim enabled device. So, if people choose to use that feature as opposed to the physical SIM they can choose between plans immediately available from operators. It should basically make it easier for users to switch carriers.
The biggest improvement in the device is something I, unfortunately, rarely use but I am planning on using more. The HMD Skyline can be charged wirelessly with any magnetized Qi2 charger. Also, the device supports a 5W reversible charger, which is ideal for charging watches or buds.
The Gen2 easy repairability is interesting since it relies on an internal screw-driven camshaft to help speed up disassembly. You simply turn one screw to pop open the back cover on the HMD Skyline, which is something seen on Lumia 920. HMD Skyline uses a foam gasket around the display perimeter to help maintain its IP54 rating even after you disassemble and reassemble the phone.
The image gallery below explains how that camshaft works.
First step – unscrew the back cover
Back cover pops up
Screw the cover back
Cover closed
HMD partnered with iFixit to sell its kits for disassembling your Skyline but in select markets. Details are available at https://www.hmd.com/self-repair. Here are the costs of the parts at iFixit:
- Display module – 89.99 GBP
- Battery cover_black_TA-1600 – 27.99 GBP
- Battery cover_pink_TA-1600 – 27.99 GBP
- Battery cover_black_TA-1688 – 27.99 GBP
- Sub board/charging port – 27.99 GBP
- Battery – 4600 mAh – 18.99 GBP
An interesting software feature that Skyline brings is something I use right now but not with a single touch. Detox mode allows you app and contact blocking tailored to your needs, allowing you to focus while working. Detox has a moderate and strong mode, and if you start the strong mode, your phone will be locked completely. To restore it before the set time expires, you’ll have to restart it.
To wrap it all up, here are the specs of HMD Skyline HMD Skyline (TA-1600, TA-1688):
- Name: Skyline
- Dimensions: 159.84 x 75.66 x 8.9 mm
- Weight: 209.5g
- Display: 6.55” FHD+ 20:9 (1080 x 2400) | 144Hz refresh rate | Brightness 1000 nits | NTCS 100% | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | Miracast
- Processor: Snapdragon® 7s Gen 2
- Memory: 8/128 GB3, 8/256GB3, 12/256GB3 | Micro SD card support up to 1GB
- Camera: 108 MP OIS AF Main + 13 MP FF Ultrawide + 50 MP Telephoto | Flash | | Front: 50MP AF with eye-tracking focus
- Camera features: Hybrid OIS+EIS | 50mm Portrait mode | Night mode 3.0 | 0.5x to 4x zoom | AI Portrait | UW and Tele Capture Fusion | Selfie Gestures| Selfie Slo-mo
- Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n/ac/ax/6e (2×2 MiMo) | Bluetooth® 5.2 with LE Audio | GPS; A-GPS, Galileo L1/L5 dual band, GLONASS, BDS | NFC | USB Type-C™ (USB 2.0) | Analog audio output | OTG | Nano SIM, eSIM
- Sensors: | Ambient light sensor | Proximity sensor | Accelerometer (G-sensor 6-axis) | E-compass | Barometer
- Extra: Stereo speakers | HAC2019 | IP54 | Programmable Custom Button and Power Button | Biometric face unlock | Side fingerprint sensor | aptX Adaptive R2.1 HQ & Gaming, aptX HD, aptX Classic | OZO Payback
- Battery: 4600mAh4 | 33W charging support (QC4.0 and PD3.0 PPS compatible) | 15W magnetic wireless charging | 5W reverse wireless charging | Qi2 certified
- OS: Android™ 14 (two years of updates, 3 years of security patches) | Android Enterprise Recommended
- Colour: Black and Pink
HMD Skyline has been launched so far in two colours, Neon Pink and Twisted Black. But, there are some signs that we might see more colour options. Additionally, HMD did something I believed I’d never see. The phone is already available on hmd.com for £399 for the 8/128GB and £499 for the 12/256.
Prices in the EU:
- HMD Skyline, 8 + 128 GB – 499 euros
- HMD Skyline, 8 + 256 GB – 549 euros
- HMD Skyline, 12 + 256 GB – 599 euros