ICYMI: HMD Skyline launched with Gen2 Repairability, SD7sG2, 108MP main camera

HMD Skyline was announced by the French company featuring a repairable design and mid-range internals.

HMD Skyline

HMD Skyline unveiled!

HMD calls this concept Gen2 Repairability which lets users easily fix their smartphone. According to HMD, they were able to reduce the fixing steps by 65 percent on the screen compared to the first gen. Users just need to turn one screw to pop open the rear of the said device.

A little counter-clockwise twist releases the back cover's corner, allowing you to slide a pry tool beneath and see a straightforward yet effective mechanism: a rotating arm that is screw-driven and has a spring that pulls it back down when released. When you turn it, the cam lobe presses against a plate on the rear cover, which then clips back together, HMD added.

 Upon fully removing the rear cover, users will notice a lot of screws to remove and disconnect the display cable. Upon doing so, the screen pops out. Also, the company uses a foam gasket around the display perimeter to retain the IP54 rating.

HMD continued, that to easily separate the battery from the chassis, there is a built-in plastic liner on the battery that you may pull away by hand. The plastic beneath can be peeled off once the battery is removed. Cleaning off any remaining adhesive residue and replacing any old adhesive strips is the final step before replacing the battery.

The phone's design and colorway

Moving forward, the phone's design resembles the iconic Nokia N9 and comes in Pink or Black colorways.

In front, it uses a 6.55-inch pOLED screen with FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 1,000 nits peak brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

Inside, it is powered by the 2.4GHz 4nm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 with Adreno GPU, 8GB/12GB RAM, 256GB storage, a 4,600mAh replaceable battery that charges using 33W wired charging, 15W wireless, and also features reverse 5W wireless charging.

For cameras, the phone uses a 108MP main shooter with OIS+EIS + 13MP ultra-wide camera + 5MP telephoto camera. You can also snap selfies using a 50MP shooter with eye-tracking focus.

Other features mentioned are the stereo speakers and side-mounted fingerprint reader.

Connectivity-wise, it has 5G SA/NSA, dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, GPS, NFC and dual SIM.

For OS, the phone runs Android 14 with 2 years of OS upgrades and 3 years of security patches.

UK Price with direct to PHP conversion (no taxes and duties yet):

HMD Skyline 8GB/128GB - GBP 399 (around PHP 30K)

HMD Skyline 12GB/256GB - GBP 499 (around PHP 37.6K)

It is now available to order in select countries via HMD.com. Meanwhile, repairability support is available through iFixit.