HMD is no longer just making waves with Nokia smartphones—it’s now forging ahead with its own line of HMD-branded devices, staying true to its “Human Mobile Devices” vision. Alongside its Nokia offerings, HMD is embracing a multibrand strategy, with key collaborations like its exciting partnership with Mattel.
The latest HMD-branded devices, including the HMD Pulse, Pulse Plus, Pulse Pro, Skyline, and the eye-catching Barbie flip phone, are already making an impact in the market. These phones stand out for their innovative features and DIY serviceability, earning positive attention across the board.
HMD Pulse Series
HMD Pulse devices are the company’s entry-level smartphones that combine performance, premium design, repairability and affordability. This series has three phones in the lineup – the base Pulse, the Pulse Plus and Pulse Pro.
The trio share a lot of features. They all have 6.65-inch HD+ LCD screens with 90Hz refresh rate and up to 600 nits peak brightness. They are all dust and splash-resistant with IP52 rating. Powering the phones is the Unisoc T606 processor paired with RAM options starting from 4GB to 8GB and storage options starting from 64GB to 256GB with support for expandable storage through microSD card. You also get up to 6GB of virtual RAM to help with multitasking.
All three phones ship with Android 14 straight out of the box and will get 2 Android OS upgrades and 3 years of monthly security updates. The trip also has 5000mAh batteries that support 10W wired Type-C charging for the Pulse and the Pulse Plus while the Pulse Pro supports 20W charging. It’s worth noting that the battery is replaceable not by opening the phone’s back but by the use of tools in the self-repair kit. The batteries are long lasting as the company says that you can have up to 59 hours of battery life per charge.
Other features they share include a side-mounted fingerprint reader, Bluetooth 5.0, 4G connectivity NFC support, headphone jack and come in really stylish colours:
– Pulse comes in Atmos Blue, Dreamy Pink and Metero Black
– Pulse Plus comes in Apricot Crush, Midnight Blue, and Glacier Green
– Pulse Pro comes in Glacier Green, Black Ocean, and Twilight Purple
The main difference between the three is which cameras they pack. HMD Pulse has an 8MP selfie camera and a 13MP dual main cameras. The Pulse Plus also has an 8MP selfie camera and a 50MP dual main cameras. The Pulse Pro has a 50MP selfie camera, a 50MP primary camera and a 2MP depth sensor at the back. All three phones shoot 1080p video for both main and selfie cameras. You can use selfie gestures to take hands-free selfies and take advantage of the AI HDR and skin tone optimization features.
Pricing for the three starts at Ksh 18,499 for the base Pulse, Ksh 21, 499 for the Pulse Plus and the Pulse Pro goes for Ksh 23,499.
HMD Skyline
Skyline is HMD’s mid-range device and like the Puse series, it is also designed for repairability with its removable back cover and its selfie photography features aimed for Gen Z. It features a glass back design and aluminium frame and a side-mounted fingerprint reader.
Skyline comes with a 6.5-inch P-OLED 1080p screen with 144Hz refresh rate, up to 1000 nits peak brightness with support for HDR10. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
HMD packed Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor coupled with 8/12GB RAM and 128/256GB storage with support for expandable storage through a microSD card(512GB). You also get Android 14 and 2 Android OS upgrades and 3 years of monthly security patches.
In its software, HMD added a detox mode that allows you to limit access to social media and limits notifications when they become too much so you can focus on other things.
For photography, you get a triple setup at the back featuring a 108MP main with OIS, 50MP 2x telephoto camera with 4x zoom and a 13MP ultrawide. The primary cameras can shoot up to 4K 30fps video. For selfies, it has a 50MP camera that shoots 1080p video. Other camera features include AI Capture Fusion technology that maximizes detail in photos taken with it.
It has a 4600mAh battery(non-removable but replaceable) with support for 33W type-C charging(76 minutes to full charge), 15W wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging. Sadly, the phone doesn’t come with a bundled charger inside the box.
Other features include IP54 dust and splash resistance. You can repair parts of the phone such as the cracked screen, bent charging port, depleted battery and back cover with the self-repair kit. It also has NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, 5G support and a customizable textured button located on the left side that lets you quickly access to apps and features with a single or double press.
Skyline comes in various colours including Blue Topaz, Neon Pink, and Twisted Black. In Kenya, the phone goes for Ksh 58,000.
HMD Barbie Flip Phone
This is HMD’s flip feature phone with Barbie’s pink-themed design made in partnership with Mattel. It has a 2.8-inch TFT LCD main screen and a 1.77-inch external screen.
The Barbie phone has a Unisoc T107 chipset with storage options starting from 128MB expandable with 32GB microSD and RAM options starting from 64MB to 512MB(4GB storage).
The phone is powered by either S30+ OS or KaiOS 3.1 with custom Barbie icons, ringtones and wallpapers – the snake game also has the Barbie theme. HMD added nice software features including self-care reminders, digital wellbeing tips and a Barbie meditation app.
For cameras, you have a 5MP primary camera and a 0.3MP secondary camera(VGA). You don’t get a selfie camera. The flip phone has a 1450mAh battery and support for Type-C charging. The phone has a headphone jack, wireless FM radio, Bluetooth 5.0 and Wifi support.
The Barbie Phone comes with a variety of fun accessories, including Barbie stick-on gems, a color-coordinated polishing cloth, attachable phone charms, two interchangeable back covers, and a beaded phone strap. These gadgets will be available in Kenya starting October this year.
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