After weeks of speculation, HMD has finally unveiled the Skyline, a brand-new smartphone that is the brand’s most powerful yet. What had sparked a conversation for a while about this phone was the design that was rumoured to be very similar to the discontinued Nokia Lumia. And while it looks similar due to the sharp rectangular edges, it definitely has its own uniqueness.
HMD refers to the Skyline design as Gen 2 repairability as it allows users to easily open it up and fix up the interiors including the screen and battery in case of a break or failure. This is an interesting feature to bring back as we have seen many brands take away the ability for users to open up the device. This has been associated with the ambition to have the most air-tight device in the market to prevent water or dust leakage which could damage the phone.
The HMD Skyline features a 6.5-inch OLED display with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. The phone is powered by Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset. The phone also comes in 8GB and 12GB RAM variants and for the storage, 128GB and 256GB options.
The rear camera setup contains a 108MP main camera with OIS, a 13MP ultra-wide camera and a 50MP telephoto lens. As expected, HMD has involved AI tech with the camera setup with its AI Capture Fashion, designed to maximise detail in photos.
The phone packs a 4,600mAh battery that supports 33W wired charging and 15W Qi2 wireless charging. As for the software, the phone runs on Android 14 out of the box with 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of security patches. One of the more interesting features mentioned by HMD is the Detox Mode, which lets you limit notifications and access to social media platforms in case things get too intense.
While it’s not clear about how airtight this device will be, it will be interesting to see how users experience it in terms of accidents.
The phone goes for $499 for 12GB/256GB options and $399 for the 8GB/128GB option internationally. It’s not confirmed whether the device will be launched in the Kenyan market.
Update (19/07/2024):
HMD has now confirmed that the Skyline smartphone will be launching in Kenya in August at KES 58,000. The device will be available at stores near you in two colour options; Neon Pink and Twisted Black.
