HMD Global has announced the successor to the Nokia 8.3 5G, or its first hardware-rich and fairly powerful mid-ranger. The phone looks like it’s a baby of the Nokia Lumia 920 and 925, thanks to the soft side lines and straight-cut top and bottom lines of the aluminum frame.
The phone brings several new features that are deeply rooted in Nokia’s history, although we see HMD’s approach in the midrange market. The features that set the Skyline apart are, first of all, its design. We asked Raun Forsyth (VP of Design, Human Mobile Devices) about the design of this phone. Here’s what he had to say:
“Simply put, I’m excited. This phone is bold, with a lot of attitude with its hard, square edges and comes in a sleek, swirly black or vibrant neon pink. The hard, square edges are partly aesthetic, giving it a confident, fresh look, but also functional, as it gives the device a more solid structure – it’s not a soft, generic edge that fits in your pocket.
“HMD Skyline’s inner story is as compelling as its exterior. When it comes to phone design, everything is from the inside out. We negotiate every mm in a phone and strive for good bones… if we get the inside right, the outside will take care of itself. This device takes repairability in mobile phones to the next level, we call it Gen 2 repairability and it makes phone repair easy. We designed a simple camshaft spring that allows you to simply turn a single screw 90 degrees to flip open the back cover. Simple yet beautiful, we believe HMD Skyline ushers in a new era in smartphone design.”
Let’s talk hardware. Then there’s stuff like LG’s pOLED display, Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor, a camera setup featuring a 108MP hybrid OIS triple camera setup on the back 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 capabilities for eye-tracking, wireless charging with reverse charging, a programmable button seen in the Nokia XR series, easy repairability from Gen 2, and some software tweaks like a Detox Mode.
So, the camera has been beefed up on the Skyline. A 50MP AF selfie has eye-tracking to make portraits look good. The 108MP main sensor is actually the Hybrid OIS main camera which also uses a 50MP telephoto for 4x zoom and 13MP UW for those perfect 0.5x selfies or landscapes. It will be interesting to see how well it actually works.
Here are some photos taken by celebrity photographer Rosanna Elettra on HMD Skyline (resized to save server space):
Skyline finally brings a good, bright 1000-nit pOLED display, a 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10 video playback, and stereo speakers. I’m a little disappointed that the display is only protected by Gorilla Glass 3, but that’s why it’s 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 device. So if people choose to use that feature instead of the physical SIM, they can choose from plans that are readily available from operators. It should make it easier for users to switch providers in theory.
The biggest improvement in the device is something that I unfortunately rarely use, but I plan to use it more often. The HMD Skyline can be charged wirelessly with any magnetized Qi2 charger. The device also supports a 5W reversible charger, which is ideal for charging watches or earbuds.
The Gen2’s easy repairability is interesting because it relies on an internal screw-driven camshaft to speed up disassembly. All you need to do is turn a single screw to flip open the HMD Skyline’s rear cover, a feature also seen on the Lumia 920. HMD Skyline uses a foam gasket around the perimeter of the display to maintain its IP54 rating even after you’ve taken the phone apart and reassembled it.
The gallery of images below explains how the camshaft works.
First step – unscrew the tailgate
Back flips up
Screw the lid back on
Lid closed
HMD has partnered with iFixit to sell its kits for tearing down your Skyline, but in select markets. Details are available at https://www.hmd.com/self-repair . Here’s how much the parts cost 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
- Subboard/Charging Port – £27.99
- Battery – 4600 mAh – 18.99 GBP
One interesting software feature that Skyline offers is something I use now, but not with a single touch. The Detox mode gives you app and contact blocking tailored to your needs, so you can focus while you work. Detox has a moderate and strong mode, and if you start the strong mode, your phone will be completely locked. To recover it before the set time expires, you have to restart it.
To round things out, here are the specs of HMD Skyline HMD Skyline (TA-1600, TA-1688):
- Name: Horizon
- Dimensions: 159.84 x 75.66 x 8.9 mm
- Weight: 209.5 grams
- Display: 6.55” FHD+ 20:9 (1080 x 2400) | 144Hz refresh rate | 1000nits brightness | NTCS 100% | Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3 | Miracast
- Processor: Snapdragon® 7s Gen 2
- Memory: 8/128GB3, 8/256GB3, 12/256GB3 | Support Micro SD card up to 1GB
- Camera: 108 MP OIS AF Main + 13 MP FF Ultra Wide Angle + 50 MP Telephoto | Flash | | Front: 50 MP 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 (6-axis G-sensor) | E-compass | Barometer
- Additional: Stereo speakers | HAC2019 | IP54 | Programmable custom button & 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
- Operating system: Android™ 14 (two years of updates, three years of security patches) | Android Enterprise Recommended
- Colour: Black and pink
HMD Skyline has been available in two versions so far to colourNeon Pink and Twisted Black. But there are signs we could see more colour options. Plus, HMD did something I never thought I’d 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