Unboxing of the pink HMD Skyline | Nokiamob

The day has finally come. HMD Skyline, the company’s nod to its Nokia legacy, is here. Normally, the first steps are unboxing and setting up the device, followed by some first impressions. HMD also sent a Nokia 3210 and an iFixit toolbox so I could start breaking down the Skyline—or hopefully not, since this device features the second generation of a self-repairing process.

The device’s box shares dimensions with the Pulse Pro box, meaning it only includes the device itself, a 1m USB-C to USB-C cable (which matches the color of the device, nice!), a user manual, and a SIM door tool (a better quality one than what’s included with the Pulse series). Kudos for the paper wrap on the device. I still don’t understand why HMD isn’t using the same paper wrap for the Nokia 3210, which comes in plastic wrap.

Anyways, I’d love to see a charger in a matching color in the box, but HMD is thinking of ecology and e-waste. So, guys, please consider removing plastic from your boxes since paper is a more recyclable material than plastic.

But I instantly forgot about the lack of a charger when I took off the paper wrap, which feels nice to the touch. The device looks great and feels soft, which is incredible. The aluminum frame feels organic and warm, not like a cold piece of metal, and it will dissipate heat better.

I’m glad that Raun Forsyth woke up from his sleep and finally designed this beautiful piece of hand extension we all use. Although the corner edges are flat, the device doesn’t feel pointy in the hands. Well, maybe a bit, but that comes in handy as it makes you aware of the phone’s position, and it doesn’t bother me much. I got used to the softer edges of the X30, which I’ve been using lately. Maybe future designs might consider slightly rounder edges, but that would ruin the Lumia legacy brought here. The Lumia 925 managed to achieve that, just a suggestion.

Skyline is a bit slippery on flat surfaces covered with cloth, so be careful. The back glass is a fingerprint magnet, but it isn’t polished, so you won’t see them that easily.

However, those slightly edged lines on the corners of the aluminum frame look and feel fantastic. The finish of the device is impeccable, with the screen nicely transitioning to the frame and a detachable back glass too. The last device I adored for its design was the Nokia 7 Plus, and this one is definitely a winner.

There is nothing excessive on the device; even the customizable button on the left side feels nice and doesn’t protrude like on the XR series. That was the reason I never used it, but this one I will. There is a dedicated menu for setting up multiple functions for long and double-clicks of the button. You can also set up the power button to double-click to start the camera and use the volume rockers to take a photo. Left-handed people will love this.

The POLED display (made by LG) is crisp and super visible in the sun, even better than the screen used on the Nokia X30. The colors are bright, and viewing content on it is a joy.

The back cover is matte glass with an HMD sticker in the middle and a wider camera module featuring a main 108 MP optically stabilized camera with a huge f/1.7 aperture at the bottom, a 50 MP telephoto camera at the top, and a 13 MP ultra-wide camera to the right, just below the large LED flash, which uses the telephoto lens to zoom a bit more.

It’s great that the back glass isn’t polished since you can use it to recharge your accessories like the GT3 watch, which I charged a bit.

The device is quick and responsive, thanks to the Snapdragon 7s Gen2, which doesn’t heat up much, although I’ve just started using it. The setup went quickly, and I managed to copy all the apps and settings from the X30 thanks to the provided cable. There is also the option to use eSIM, so if your carrier supports it, that would speed up the transfer even more.

The first thing I tested upon booting up the device was the camera. The UI has a slightly changed orange accent colour with italicized letters and numbers. You’ll immediately notice that the phone can take zoomed photos up to 4X. HMD promises it should be lossless thanks to some software magic using the telephoto camera combined with the main sensor.

The images are good, with the colours not being over-saturated and the dynamic range great, but the camera app stuttered, especially when shooting videos. The first video I took wasn’t that smooth but the sound recording is great! There is also a mild setback since to record up to 4x zoom, you need to start using the telephoto camera. However, the software updates are coming in August which might improve the camera settings. (I’m shooting right out of the pocket, like an average phone user would do, so nothing is staged).

It also stopped working when processing the 4X image failed, but that never happened again. However, HMD reminded me that in August, there will be an update for the camera that will bring 4K recording (update: to the selfie camera) along with the detox mode, so some glitches might be sorted out. HMD might take some extra hours to make those ultra-wide shots look less distorted and 3X zoom doesn’t seem focused, at least when the light isn’t the best and objects aren’t lit the same. Of course, I need to play a bit more with the camera, but some things can and need to be fixed.

One thing I couldn’t find is the ability to zoom to 4X while taking videos with the main camera. For now, if you want to zoom the video, you should start recording with the telephoto camera, which is a downside. However, this is a software problem that I believe can be sorted out quickly.

I also tested the speakers, and boy, that OZO audio works wonders. Skyline has stereo speakers, one in the earphone and another at the bottom of the device, so the sound is pretty nice for watching videos.

All in all, this is a great-looking device which I’ll enjoy using and testing. For the next 10 days, I’ll thoroughly test it. If you have any questions about it or want to know specific details, leave them in the comments, and I’ll try to answer them ASAP.

Thanks to HMD for sending the device.