Human Mobile Devices (HMD; formally HMD Global), the Finnish brand behind the Nokia-branded phones, now has HMD-branded smartphones. Human Mobile Devices revealed its first line of smartphones under the original HMD line, the HMD Pulse series. The HMD Pulse Series includes the Pulse Pro, Pulse+, and Pulse.
All three models are powered by the same Unisoc T606-All network 8-core LTE platform. So, yeah, they are 4G phones. Don’t be alarmed. The specs are not the main selling points. HMD Pulse represents just another smartphone in the cutthroat industry and while it is not making waves, I think it deserves more attention than “oh, another smartphone.”
Let’s put the clean lines, calm tones, and contemporary aesthetics aside, the Pulse range is designed from the ground up to be repaired. Dubbed “Gen 1 repairability”, the HMD Pulse range lets you replace a damaged display, bent charging port, or a depleted battery. To facilitate repair, HMD has partnered with repair outfit iFixit to sell users a self-repair kit to carry out replacement/repair works on the phone.
Moreover, HDM is branding it as a fashionable device—not just any old smartphone. Hence the colors. The HMD Pulse Pro is leading the pack and it boldly claims as “a selfie-lover’s new best friend.” The device packs one of the industry’s largest megapixel selfie cameras, a 50 MP camera.
Though it is not the highest megapixel self-camera; by the virtue of a flip camera, the ASUS Zenfone 8 Flip still holds the record of the highest megapixel self-camera at 64 MP. The closest to the 50 MP would be the Galaxy S22 Ultra with a 40 MP front camera. However, it is worth noting that higher megapixels do not make for better-quality images.
The “rear camera power” selfie camera further touts an all-new Selfie Gesture Navigation and AI Super Portrait mode, perfect for selfies even in low light conditions. It has a dual camera setup around the back comprising a 50 MP AF camera and a 2 MP depth camera.
All three devices are almost identical, differing in RAM, storage, charging speed (battery capacity is the same), and the cameras. The Pulse+ has an 8 MP selfie camera and a 50 MP rear camera with a depth sensor. The Pulse also has an 8 MP selfie camera but a 13 MP rear camera with a depth sensor. Both Pulse+ and Pulse run on 4 GB RAM while the Pro model has 6 GB.
Common specs include 90 Hz 6.56” HD+ (1,612 x 720 pixels) HID display, 6 GB RAM, 128 GB storage, microSD card support (up top 256 GB), Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, positioning (GPS/AGPS/Galileo), USB 2.0 (Type-C), wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, 4G LTE, side fingerprint sensor, IP52 rated, and 5,000 mAh QuickFix replaceable battery with 20 W fast charging for Pulse Pro and Pulse+ and 10 W for Pulse.
It runs on Android 14 and promises two OS upgrades. I know. The specs aren’t great but hey, when you know the prices you know they are more than justified.
The HMD Pulse sells for 99.99 quid, while the Pulse+ and Pulse Pro go for 129.99 quid and 149.99 quid, respectively. Btw, those are not typos. Those are the prices. It’s crazy. But the HMD Pulse series takes affordability to a whole new level.
Images: HMD.
