HMD - Skyline 256GB (Unlocked) - Twisted Black

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The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  A very nice Android Phone

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 50 Contributor

  I've been​ a smart phone user for 20 years and a​n iPhone user for 18 years. I've moved back and forth from Android to iPhone several times. Each excels for a while and each falls behind in various areas time and time again. In specific terms Android phones (specifically w/Snapdragon CPUs) have had better BT audio capabilities than iPhones. Qualcomm's aptX audio is a game changer for wireless audio (BT) (IMHO it passed Apple's BT audio quality several years ago, and Apple is still playing catch​-up). The same can be said for camera quality, although lens implementation varies widely across Android phones, there are multiple Android phones that offer +100 megapixel cameras. Apple has none. Android phones have offered pro camera modes for years (including RAW images and AI editing), Apple cripples the cameras on their phones, behind their "Smart" processing, which prevents 'pro' photographers from using the full range of the camera's functionality. I have an iPhone 15 ​Pro and my wife has an iPhone 15​+, the Skyline's weight and size is more similar to the 15+ so I will compare it to that model. So let's look at some of the specifics behind the Skyline 5G. The Skyline 5G has a OLED display with a fast 144Hz refresh rate and up to a 1000 nits peak brightness. It supports Miracast and Google casting with a 20:9 Aspect ratio with Gorilla Glass 3 with a 6.6" screen size and a screen resolution of 1080x2400 (406 ppi density) versus the 15+'s 6.7" OLED screen size and 1290x2796 pixels, (~460 ppi density) with a similar peak brightness. The HMD has a 4600 mAh replaceable battery supporting 33W fast charging (charger not supplied) (QC4.0 and PD3.0 PPS compatible) versus the 15+'s 4383 mAH non-user replaceable battery supporting 30W fast USB C charging (charger not supplied). The Skyline 5G weighs 208g vs a 15+ weighing 201g. The size and weight of the two are almost identical. The Skyline 5G supports Bluetooth® 5.2 with LE Audio and 15+ has BT 5.3; neither supports the more advanced BT 5.4 supported by newer earbuds/headphones. The Skyline's display is very crisp and bright, indoors I can't say that it's any better or worse than the 15+. Outdoors in the shadows it's not as easy to see as the iPhone. In bright sunlight both have equal difficulties being read easily. The 15+'s greater DPI density is not obvious, perhaps the Skyline's faster refresh rate helps it here. I listened to music from both phones with the excellent 1000XM5's over the ear headphones. The Skyline's sound quality won playing my own HQ MP3's and with FLAC streaming. The sound had better depth and seemed to cover the full spectrum better, lower lows and higher highs. I expected a difference but the difference was greater than I expected. The quality out of the phone's speakers from the two phones was similar, with the 15+ being slightly brighter and louder. The 2 phone's focal lengths are different, a 3x zoom is closer to a 2x zoom on the Skyline. But comparing 2 images from the two the general colors captured are similar, the Skyline probably being a little brighter. When zooming in the Skyline has significantly greater detail (std res not High Resolution mode (50MP)). From 25' I could clearly determine the color/shape of a Christmas light on the Skyline, whereas on the 15+, I could just tell there was a bulb. But in low light the 15+ captured much better images, its handheld stabilization helped significantly. When taking the same picture on a tripod, the Skyline again had better detail but the brightest areas were washed out, but its general colors were more natural. I attempted to take some pictures of the full moon (on a tripod) and both cameras were unsatisfactory. The 15+ captured a huge glow around the moon (no matter what I did), and the Skyline gave me a crisper edge but insufficient detail (sort of fuzzy). I took some long exposures of stars, and got good results from the 15+ (handheld and on tripod) with a 5 second capture. And the Skyline was useless with a zoom handheld. But in astro​mode on a tripod it did a very good job, great sharpness, but I had to trigger the shutter remotely (BT Trigger). So the quality of the Skyline's images seems to be highly dependent on the phone being stabilized​ (its internal stabilization is not very effective). The 15+ has some form of digital stabilization that works very well, something missing from the Skyline. I did find the Skyline's case to be pretty slippery (as is the 15+), I was able to find a clear case for it (problem solved). The Skyline's fingerprint sensor works very well, it can also be programed to serve other functions (like to take a picture in landscape mode). It also supports unlocking via facial recognition. I use my phones for streaming videos quite frequently and the Skyline's quality was excellent and very stable. Casting to one of my televisions or to my projector worked very well. The phone handled my 6G WiFi very well, getting 345 mbps down and 95mbps up (and 15+ is getting 390 mbps down and 8​0 mbps up) using Speedtest. I installed multiple apps through the Google Play store without any problems. Placing calls via BT worked very well. And using the phone as a speakerphone worked very well.. After using the Skyline for about a week it occured to me that it looked a lot like the old Nokia Lumia 1020 only a little bigger and thinner. At the bottom of the phone there is a tray for 2 nano SIMs and a nano SIM and microSD card (it can also support a or two eSims). I added a 400Gb SD card (spec says it supports up to a 1Tb card) and put my MP3 collection on it (280Gb). This is my favorite feature of Android devices, inexpensive expandability!​ I initially started to transfer my MP3 collection via a USB connection to my computer. But the SD card was not displayed. Turns out there is a USB setting called "USB Preferences" that must be changed to "This device" and "Use USB for "set to ​"File Transfer​". The phone does not ​'remember​' this setting; you have to set it every time you attach the device (BAD). Once I discovered this I tried dragging my collection to the Music folder, but it copied very slowly. So it seems even though it's a USB C port, it's still using USB 2.0 technology (BAD). ​This is very disappointing for a new device. (Copying via USB 2.0 would have taken over 14 hours; doing it over USB 3.0 took less than 2 hours). I connected a USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSD, the device was recognised and worked but it was so slow. I also tested charging the Skyline via a​ new "magsafe" charger, it worked fine (supporting Qi2), but it charged at 1/2 the speed as ​a wired ​connection would (normal). The phone comes in 2 versions, 8GB or 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. But the phone allows you to create up to 8GB of virtual memory (using storage space). This works very well in improving performance when running multiple apps/browser tabs. I don't see why the 12GB version is necessary at all.​ I suggest enabling the "memory extension" and "Auto Cleanup" when you set-up the phone. The phone comes with the Google Suite of tools/apps installed. If you've been using Chrome on any other device many of your settings/contacts can be imported. The phone performs very well, it supports Qi2 wireless charging and repairability (easy screen repair and battery replacements). The Skyline is not water resistant (IP54 vs IP67/68 being better). The Skyline runs a pretty clean install of Android 14. One of my problems with the phone is that HMD only provides 2 years of OS upgrades and three years of security patches for the phone. On the other hand Google promises 7 years of software and security updates for its phones. HMD's limited software support is at odds with the very idea of user-replaceable parts, which are intended to help keep the phone in working for a longer time (BAD). The Skyline build quality is superb, it is a beautiful phone, rivaling that of the 15+. And it is repairable! Given it's not waterproof, I do wish it had a user removable battery and a headphone jack. I used it as a camera and MP3 player for a week and the battery still had a 10% charge.

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  This review is from HMD - Skyline 256GB (Unlocked) - Blue Topaz

  Posted 1 year ago by 3Tcubed

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Great mid-range phone that looks sweet!

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  HMD Global Skyline Review Introduction ======================== HMD Global may not be the most familiar name, but Nokia still rings a bell for a lot of people. The Nokia brand is licensed and the design team is in Finland with a goal of more friendly, sustainable phones like this new Skyline. Besides being a solid mid-range phone, it was made to be easily repairable so you can replace a cracked screen or dead battery with little effort. They've partnered up with well-known repair company iFixit to stock kits, parts, and documentation. Setup and Build Quality ======================== First impression: This is a sleek and eye-catching phone! The topaz colorway is brilliant and the rounded edges make it easy to fit into your hand. Having said that, the recycled aluminum frame and glass back make it slippery so you may need a case for some grip, but try to get something that lets the color shine through! A 6.6" 1080p OLED sits front-and-center and it looks good and can get decently bright in sunlight. The design really reminds me of the ill-fated Windows Phone days when Nokia made some of the best versions along with nice cameras. But I mean that in a good way, since that phone felt great and looked great! This phone is more solid and less plastic-like than the old Nokia units I mentioned. Aluminum, rear glass, and a Gorilla Glass screen make for an overall very solid build. There's a raised camera bump on the back and a volume rocker on the right edge. Below that volume control is a power/fingerprint sensor that works quickly. On the other side is a customizable button that you can hold to mute the phone, press twice to turn on the flashlight, or program it to something else entirely. The bottom has a sim/microSD tray, a USB-C charging port, and speaker/mic. Make a note of that single Torx screw... Phone - Overall Usage ======================== Let's be honest, most people don't need a flagship phone for everyday usage. With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen2, launching in late 2024, this is a mid-range phone but that's not necessarily a bad thing! The main display is a nice OLED with 2400x1080 resolution and up to 144hz refresh rate so everything is smooth. Colors look great as expected, and I didn't have any trouble using the phone out in the bright southwestern sun. Connectivity on Tmobile and ATT via physical sim cards was great with no issues. There is an eSim option as well. Comparing this to my daily drivers from Samsung and Google, there was no discernible difference in coverage or handset call quality. From a Wi-Fi perspective, I was pleased to see it supports 6E which allows for faster wireless connections if you have a supported AP (which I do!). Solid Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the house and out to the edges of the home mean you can easily limit your cellular usage while at home. Wireless Qi charging works as expected, but we get a big bonus - magnetic attachments work just fine! The charging coil is right under the HMD logo on the rear and magnetic charging accessories for other phones work just fine and hold solidly. The battery is listed at 4600mAh and should be plenty for most users. I was able to use it for about a day and a half of normal usage. You could push it more with less gaming and video watching, though. Software-wise, it ships with Android 14 and they've guaranteed two years of OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates. Yes, this is way less than other manufacturer's flagships, but again, this is a mid-range phone. For a phone with repairability in mind, you'd think they'd support the OS longer. Detox mode, should you have the strength to enable it, works well! You can identify which apps you want it to block like Instagram, Facebook, and other messaging or social media apps. Once you enable Detox mode, you have to disable it manually or schedule it to disable. While it's enabled, you won't get any distracting notifications, allowing you to get your work done. Phone - Media and Games ======================== Movies and pictures look great on the OLED and remember, this is a smooth 144hz screen. The speakers are surprisingly good for a mid-ranger. It can get very loud for speakerphone usage or filling a small room. Instead of sounding either tinny or boomy, the speakers are actually quite full-range. Gaming-wise, the 7s Gen2 has an Adreno 710 GPU, so it can play most games just fine. Will it drop some frames in the most demanding games? Yes, but I didn't experience anything terrible in Honkai Star Rail or Genshin Impact. Anything graphically easier than those games will run fine. The phone did get a bit warm, but I don't think it was anything out of the ordinary when gaming on mobile. Phone - Camera ======================== It's got an array of cameras on the rear including a 108mp main shooter, 50mp telephoto, and 13mp wide angle lens. Most of the photos I took looked good, but as always, these non-top-of-the-line cameras will need good lighting. Mixed lighting seemed like a pretty tough challenge compared to my Pixel. The front-facing 50mp shooter may seem like complete overkill for a selfie camera, but it does focus quickly and performs well. For a bit of fun, HMD allows you to flash the "peace sign" or "V" to take a selfie. Phone - Repairability ======================== HMD is serious about sustainability and repairability and this Skyline is a Gen2 repairable device. With an iFixit partnership, you can find replaceable parts like screens and batteries along with all the documentation you need to replace them yourself at home! With just one Torx screw, you can pop the covers off and get into the insides without voiding the warranty. I didn't get a chance to replace anything on this brand-new phone, but I did check out iFixit's website with parts and they will sell you just the parts you need, or include the tools so you can do it all yourself. I don't know about you, but I've had a few phones get the "spicy pillow" when their internal, glued-in lithium battery swelled up. If I could have easily replaced it, the phone would still be working! I love the idea of this and I wish more phone manufacturers got onboard with it! Conclusion ======================== This is a great-looking phone with more than enough performance for 90% of people. It has a great screen, strong Wi-Fi connectivity, and can easily be repaired in case something goes wrong. I really love the phone and the idea behind it. I hope we can see more manufacturers making their devices repairable too!

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  This review is from HMD - Skyline 256GB (Unlocked) - Blue Topaz

  Posted 1 year ago by Kaizoku

• Rated 4 out of 5 stars

  Flagship features. Class leading repairability.

  • Tech Insider Network Member

  Quick and Dirty: Excellent Android phone and feature set for this price. Runs a slightly older (not outdated) QUALCOMM snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip (snappy and responsive), 8GB RAM Memory (plenty for multitasking) and 256GB storage (tons of apps, music, pics and video) and the screen is 144ghz OLED (butter smooth scrolling). Dual sim tray (eSim capable) or 1 sim and 1 Micro SD card (up to 512gb). Two OS updates (it is on OS14, 15 is current) and 3 years of security. The cameras are flagship level. 108MP/50MP/13MP. For everyday pics and video, this phone does extremely well. Major bonus, you can repair the screen, back panel and other parts at home if you are clumsy or have unfortunate events. Sadly, not waterproof enough, IP54 is only adequate. You do get Qi2 wireless magnetic charging, so it is nearly all positives for the Skyline. Is Skyline any good: Over a week+ using the Skyline as my new phone. It has been great. Visible/Verizon 5G connection at home has been very strong and without hiccups. Stereo speakers sound clean at all volumes and calls and notifications are easy to hear. The OLED screen looks great, day or night inside or outdoors. The only negative I have is the flush mounted power button/fingerprint sensor. It works very well for a guy with rough fingers, but it is often triggered just picking phone up as finger slides across button stopping at volume rocker. The senor triggers haptics and keeps looking for fingers just holding it till it locks you out to pin on next time you use the phone. A raised button might have been better. Maybe a case would help, there just not a lot of case options yet. Its a minor niggle for me, but a daily occurrence others might also encounter. Overall a very good stock android experience if you want it. Setup: Basically just swapped my old phones sim to this phone and a bit of tinkering with Visible (Verizon) to get RCS messaging working correctly. Of course this was after using the included USB-C to USB-C cable and sim ejector tool for initial migration process. Minimal bloatware to remove, only 3 apps I don't use. Tweak a few settings like refresh rate and bring the screen brightness up and off adaptive (screen was at lowest dim setting out of box). Setup done, time to choose the custom button function settings. You get 2 function choices for the button, press and hold and double tap, many options to choose. Another selling point was Zen and Detox features. I don't use social media on my phone and reverted to full color app icons, so these were not tested. Cameras: Unless you are a photo snob. I think the pictures taken with the Skyline look good to excellent. It works best in daylight, although even in a dim room my black and white dog is still very easy to identify. You get plenty of good auto, pro and scene settings (night, portrait, plus others and digital zoom up to 20x). Optical 2x zoom is minimal but more than enough at this price tag. Image stabilization is adequate for pics and video, still best to have a steady hand. Camera function is not a complaint for me. Some of the trick shots are worth a try, like Dual Sight and Flash Shot. Battery, Qi2: Battery life is great. I could likely go 3 days if the work load was minimal and didn't need to call too often. Standby life over the weekend proved to me how 3 days on a single charge was not impossible. This phone just sips power with the right settings. Of course lots of calls and doom scrolling with have opposite effect. It charges quickly with cord, but magnetic Qi2 is great. Quick enough charge and the magnet just locks the phone exactly where it needs to be. Original Gen 1 Qi chargers were a bit of hit or miss unless it was just a flat disc Qi. The magnetic ones were mostly a bit out of alignment. Both of my newer Qi2 chargers were spot on everytime. If you buy the phone, put a Qi2 stand charger in the cart with it. Also look at magnetic phone accessories you might like (magnetic rings/pop socket and wallets). They work on this phone similar to Apple phones. Repairability: Youtube's JerryRigEverything summed this up the best. Phones should not be disposable. His video on the HMD Skyline is worth a watch if still on the fence for this phone. Being able to repair your own phone with easy to source parts and instructions is a valuable asset to this phone. Granted it looses some water ingress rating for this feature. But I find water far easier to avoid than gravity. Parts seem to be $99 (OLED screen) or less. And it seems it is just the most common parts that can be repaired/replaced. While three years of security updates might be enough for most before moving to a new phone. It would be interesting if HMD could sell addition updates for a phone that could theoretically be repairable and used beyond 3 years. An idea for HMD and Google. HMD might be new to Americans, but seems they have been around for awhile with Nokia phones. At this price and feature set. The HMD Skyline should very much be in contention to new phone shoppers. Best Buy even just had it on sale to give you more reasons to buy. HMD Skyline is not a cheap throw away or "you couldn't afford better phone". It is an honest phone with reliable proven parts. Pick one up, you'll see.

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  This review is from HMD - Skyline 256GB (Unlocked) - Blue Topaz

  Posted 1 year ago by JinOH