Human Mobile Devices (HMD) has brought its new mid-range flagship Skyline to Australia. The company has designed the phone to be relatively easy for customers to repair themselves if needed, rather than relying on retailers, third-party service providers or the manufacturer to do so.
For example, if you break the HMD Skyline’s 6.5-inch screen—which HMD says has a resolution of 2,400 x 1,080 pixels, an adaptive refresh rate of 144 Hz, and a peak brightness of 1,000 nits—you can remove and replace it using miniature tools from iFixit kits.
Likewise, the owner of bent charging ports (the phone has a USB-C 2.0 port), scratched back covers or batteries that need replacing can remedy the problem themselves.
On the right side of the phone are volume controls and a power button with an integrated fingerprint sensor. On the left side of the phone frame is a customizable button. By default, a press and hold gesture silences the phone, while a double press turns on the flashlight.
The phone has a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Storage can be expanded up to 512GB via a MicroSD card. The Skyline supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2
It has a 50MP selfie camera with autofocus and eye tracking. The phone also has a built-in “selfie gesture” technology that allows users to activate the camera when they perform one of four specific hand gestures, including a thumbs up or a heart sign with both hands.
The phone has a 108MP hybrid OIS triple camera on the back. Portrait mode enables 50mm shots with bokeh effect and close-up shots are aided by the 4x zoom feature. Landscape and group shots can be captured in the 0.5x ultra-wide angle mode and there is also AI Capture Fusion to add details to zoomed images.
HMD Skyline says its 4,600mAh battery can run for up to 48 hours without charging and that the device is also Qi2 certified.
Later this month, HMD will add a new digital detox mode to the phone. The bespoke app will allow users to tailor their detox to their needs and spend time away from their smartphone when needed.
“The HMD Skyline empowers the people behind the phone, with an impressive triple camera for capturing memories, a unique digital detox mode that encourages people to live in the here and now, and an unprecedented self-repair capability. It’s about creating a fashionable way to build a healthy relationship with your smartphone,” said Brenden Folitarik, HMD GM for Australia and Oceania.
The HMD Skyline costs A$899 and will be available from retailers including JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman from August 28.
