ICYMI: The HMD Skyline Has Launched in the Philippines. More Affordable than Its EU Variant

No comments

Comes with a wide array of colours and an iconic Lumia-like design

“What is this? Another smartphone brand?” You might be asking. It is sort of that. HMD is the licensee of Nokia smartphones after its departure from Microsoft Mobile and Windows Phone in 2017. Now, it seems like HMD is launching smartphones independently without the Nokia branding. This might mean the previously notable cellphone maker has nowhere near the value it once was, if even HMD and Nokia is straying away from it.

However, this does not mean the Nokia brand is truly over. See, HMD is taking design cues from the Lumia series for its independently branded smartphones. In addition, it’s also promoting repairability and ease of use, which means you can replace parts of its new phones without breaking the bank, and even without technician skills. The first of these is the HMD Skyline. A phone with a multitude of colours and was teased by HMD a few months back.

The new phone has a squarish design and appears to be made of polycarbonate plastic. This makes it easy to open using basic caveman tools. The phone is pretty jampacked, including the return of pOLED screens, which we’ve last heard of from Motorola, and previously, LG.

Particularly, the HMD Skyline uses a 6.55″ FullHD+ (2400x1080px) pOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate. It also uses a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset paired with 12GB RAM and 256GB ROM. Although, a 512GB ROM version is also available.

It consists of three unusually paired cameras at the back, consisting of a 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM6 primary, a 13MP Ultrawide, and a 50MP telephoto. The front uses a 50MP selfie camera. The phone has a 4600mAh battery with 33W fast charging. It, of course, has 5G connectivity, Bluetooth 5.2, Dual-band Wi-Fi, and NFC.

HMD Skyline old listing

It is currently unlisted, for some reason, in Shopee and its Lazada listing is outright deleted, stating that it does not exist. However, when it does come back, the phone is priced at PHP 24,990 without a rugged case. Previously, HMD offered the phone in Blue and the option to add a rugged case with IP68. However, as of this writing, both these options are gone, and HMD unlisted this option.

HMD Skyline new listing

The brand later created a new listing without the rugged case and blue color. Officially, you’ll only get black and pink. We’re hoping to see a yellow variant soon, like the old Lumias. The phone is listed still under the Nokia branding and is available on Shopee. This price is actually more affordable than the European variant by a long shot. The phone is roughly PHP 37K when directly converted, so that’s about PHP13K savings.

SPECS:

  • 6.55″ FullHD+ (2400x1080px) pOLED, 144Hz refresh rate
    • Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Protection
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (4nm)
  • CAMERAS:
    • 108MP (Primary), AF, OIS, Samsung ISOCELL HM6
    • 13MP (Ultrawide), f/2.2
    • 50MP (Telephoto)
    • FRONT: 50MP
  • Android 14
  • 4,600mAh, 33W fast charging
  • USB-C, Easy repairability, In-display fingerprint scanner
  • 5G services, 4G LTE, Dual-band Wi-Fi, NFC, Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2 LE
  • Black, Pink
  • PRICE:
    • 12/256: PHP 24,990

Source: Nokia

Tagged with , ,