This phone includes rare features for a sub-$1,000 device

Bringing DIY repairability to mid-range phones, the HMD Skyline is arriving in Australia soon, along with some rare features at its price tag.

Following the launch of the HMD Pulse series of entry-level handsets, the Skyline comes with speedier specs and Qi2 wireless charging – one of the first Android phones to offer the magnetic technology in Australia.

At $899, the HMD Skyline includes many of the common features you’d expect at this price; eSIM compatibility, fast charging, and a smooth pOLED display. On the inside, it uses the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

From a camera perspective, HMD has built its new phone with a triple-lens rear array, headlined by a 108MP main sensor. Rare for a sub-$1,000 phone, the Skyline also includes a 50MP telephoto lens alongside its 13MP ultra-wide shooter. Its selfie camera tracks focus based on your eyes, based on a 50MP sensor.

Image: HMD.

While the 4600mAh battery may not be the biggest on the market, you can replace it yourself, an advantage not many other brands provide. Repairability is HMD’s modus operandi, letting you fix broken screens, charging ports and back covers by using an iFixit kit.

In addition to prolonging the life of your device, it’s typically cheaper to fix it yourself than via a third-party repairer. Recent research from Vodafone to promote its device care service found that nearly one in five Aussies put up with broken screens due to high costs.

In a post-launch update, the HMD Skyline is also getting a “Digital Detox Mode” to help users disconnect from screens.

HMD Skyline release date and price

Mark 28 August in your calendars for HMD’s newest phone, which costs $899 from major Australian retailers. Stockists include JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, Officeworks, Amazon, and Big W, so it’s getting a pretty wide release.

It’s a fairly compelling package, all things considered. HMD’s biggest challenge is facing a super-competitive mid-range phone market. Priced slightly higher than the Google Pixel 8a – which comes with seven years of software updates – the Skyline only gets two years of operating system updates, and three years of security upgrades.

Again, repairability is its major point of difference. If you’re prone to dropping your phone and racking up repair costs, this might be worth a look.

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