In the ever-evolving world of smartphones, HMD Global continues to make a significant impact with its latest offering: the HMD Skyline. This phone combines high-end specifications with sleek design, aiming to appeal to both tech enthusiasts and everyday users alike. Here’s an in-depth review of the HMD Skyline, detailing its specifications, features, and overall performance.

HMD Skyline Review: Design and Build Quality

    The HMD Skyline boasts a modern design with a sleek, minimalist aesthetic. Its body is crafted from premium materials, including an aluminum frame and glass back, giving it a sophisticated look and feel. The phone measures 160.8 x 74.6 x 7.9 mm and weighs 179 grams, making it both compact and lightweight for comfortable handling.

    If you're in the market for a compact and lightweight smartphone, the HMD Skyline might not be your ideal choice. Weighing in at 210 grams, it feels quite substantial and is comparable in size to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, making its presence felt in your pocket. The standout design, however, is a nod to those nostalgic for the classic Nokia Windows Phone era. Its vibrant Neon Pink color makes a bold statement, reflecting HMD's intent to make a memorable impact with their first line of non-Nokia branded devices. Alongside the Nothing Phone 2a Plus and the Realme 13 Pro Plus, the Skyline stands out as one of the most eye-catching and affordably priced phones of 2024.

    The HMD Skyline comes in two color options: Neon Pink and Twisted Black. I had the opportunity to test the Neon Pink model, which features a coordinated wallpaper and black-and-white app icons. The device’s bottom panel includes a tray for nano SIM and microSD cards, a USB-C 2.0 port, and a speaker grille. On the right side, you’ll find a volume rocker and a power button that also functions as a fingerprint sensor.

HMD Skyline Review: Display

    The HMD Skyline features a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. This results in a pixel density of approximately 405 PPI, providing vibrant colors and sharp text. The display supports HDR10, enhancing the viewing experience with richer colors and better contrast. With a peak brightness of 800 nits, the screen remains highly readable even in bright sunlight.

    The HMD Skyline features an IP54 rating, offering protection against dust and water sprays from any direction. Its front is shielded by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. In comparison, the Motorola Edge boasts a superior IP68 rating, and the Pixel 8a is close behind with an IP67 rating. Unlike these models, which can withstand short periods of water submersion, the Skyline does not have this level of water resistance.

    The maximum brightness of the HMD Skyline is impressive for a mid-range device. I recorded a peak brightness of 922 nits with my colorimeter, making the screen clearly readable even in intense direct sunlight.

HMD Skyline Review: Performance

    Under the hood, the HMD Skyline is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 processor, ensuring smooth performance for multitasking and gaming. This octa-core chip is paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, expandable via a microSD card slot up to 1TB. This combination delivers fast and responsive performance, whether you’re browsing, streaming, or playing graphics-intensive games.

    One of the advantages of mid-tier performance phones is that they generally handle throttling and heat generation well. In my tests, thermal throttling on the HMD Skyline began only after 13 minutes of intensive use, and after 20 minutes, it maintained 91.7% of its peak performance. This is quite impressive for its class.

    In Geekbench 6, which evaluates processor performance, the HMD Skyline achieved a score of 1,031 in the single-core test and 2,919 in the multi-core test. The Motorola Edge, equipped with the same Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 processor, recorded slightly similar scores of 1,018 and 2,934. In contrast, the Pixel 8a, which features the Google Tensor G3 chip, significantly outperformed them with scores of 1,545 and 4,208.

HMD Skyline Review: Camera System

    The HMD Skyline features a versatile triple-camera setup on the rear:

🔸64 MP primary sensor with an f/1.8 aperture, providing high-resolution images and excellent low-light performance.

🔸12 MP ultra-wide lens with a 120-degree field of view, perfect for capturing expansive landscapes and group photos.

🔸5 MP macro lens for detailed close-up shots.

    On the front, there is a 32 MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture, ensuring sharp and vibrant selfies. The camera system is equipped with advanced features such as optical image stabilization (OIS), night mode, and 4K video recording capabilities.

    The situation deteriorates at night. Without manually activating Night mode, the HMD Skyline produces images that appear excessively dark. Even with Night mode enabled, the image quality seems to degrade significantly, resembling a much lower resolution than the advertised 12MP, let alone 108MP. This is particularly disappointing given that the main camera is supposed to feature optical image stabilization (OIS).

    The HMD Skyline has some notable limitations when it comes to video recording. It supports 4K video at 30 frames per second, but not 60 frames per second, and offers 60 frames per second only at Full HD resolution. Additionally, proper stabilization is only available at 1080p.

HMD Skyline Review: Battery Life

    The HMD Skyline houses a robust 4,500 mAh battery, which supports 33W fast charging. This allows users to quickly recharge their phone and minimize downtime. In real-world usage, the battery comfortably lasts a full day of moderate use, including web browsing, social media, and video streaming.

    The HMD Skyline supports 33W fast wired charging, 15W wireless charging, and 5W reverse wireless charging, but unfortunately, it does not come with a charging adapter in the box. In comparison, the Moto Edge offers faster charging with 68W wired and 15W wireless capabilities, while the Pixel 8a provides 18W wired and 7.5W wireless charging. During testing, the Skyline took 2 hours and 6 minutes to charge from 0 to 100% using its wired connection, while the Moto Edge and Pixel 8a completed the same process in 1 hour and 56 minutes and 1 hour and 50 minutes, respectively.

HMD Skyline Review: Software

    Running on Android 14 out of the box, the HMD Skyline offers a clean and intuitive user experience. HMD Global has committed to providing timely software updates and security patches, ensuring that users have access to the latest features and improvements.

    Aside from the previously mentioned limitation of receiving only two Android updates and three years of security updates, another potential drawback is the HMD Skyline’s software support. Its version of Android 14 is straightforward and minimalistic, offering a clear but basic user experience.

     HMD offers two years of major software updates and three years of security updates for the Skyline, which is less than what some competitors provide. However, HMD argues that the emphasis on repairability outweighs the need for extended software support. The company believes that users prioritize the ability to repair their device affordably and easily over having updates five years down the road, as they are unlikely to keep the phone that long. Additionally, the Detox Mode—a feature promoted as a key selling point for the Skyline, allowing users to deactivate apps and services temporarily to avoid interruptions—is not yet available. HMD plans to include it in a software update expected by the end of August 2024.

HMD Skyline Review: Additional Features

🔸5G Connectivity: The HMD Skyline supports 5G networks, providing faster internet speeds and improved connectivity.

🔸In-Display Fingerprint Sensor: For secure and convenient unlocking of the phone.

🔸Stereo Speakers: Delivering immersive audio quality for media consumption and gaming.

🔸IP68 Water and Dust Resistance: Ensuring durability and protection against the elements.

🔸Dual SIM Support: Allowing users to manage two phone numbers simultaneously.

    The HMD Skyline supports the latest Wi-Fi 6E standard, although I used a Wi-Fi 6 router for performance testing. At close range to the router, the Skyline achieved impressive download speeds of 518Mbps and average upload speeds of 22.6Mbps. In comparison, the iPhone 14 Pro recorded download speeds of 398Mbps and upload speeds of 22.8Mbps from the same spot. However, when I moved the Skyline to the edge of my Wi-Fi network, its speeds dropped significantly to 8.23Mbps for downloads and 2.57Mbps for uploads, while the iPhone 14 managed better results of 47.3Mbps and 15.9Mbps, respectively.

    The HMD Skyline performs well in reproducing low-end frequencies on bass-heavy tracks like The Knife's "Silent Shout." I was able to clearly distinguish the bass line in the opening sections, and the back of the phone even vibrated slightly. The speakers can get loud enough to fill a small room, but for the best audio experience, it's recommended to use wireless headphones connected via the phone’s Bluetooth 5.2. Note that the Skyline does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Is The HMD Skyline Worth Buying in 2024 ?

    The HMD Skyline is a well-rounded smartphone that combines a sleek design with powerful performance and versatile features. Its high-resolution display, capable camera system, and robust battery life make it a strong contender in the mid-to-high-end smartphone market. Whether you’re a power user or someone who values a solid all-around device, the HMD Skyline is worth considering.