HMD Pulse: The new smartphones from HMD are easier to repair
24/4/2024
Translation: machine translated
With the Pulse, Pulse + and Pulse Pro, HMD presents the first smartphones under its own name. Whether display, back or battery: the affordable devices are designed to be repaired at home.
The days of Nokia smartphones are over. Manufacturer HMD now sells its devices under its own name. The Pulse series kicks things off with three affordable models. In cooperation with ifixit.com, there are repair instructions, a self-repair kit with the necessary tools and the manufacturer also has suitable spare parts on sale.
Cameras make the difference
The new entry-level smartphones from HMD differ primarily in their cameras:
- Pulse: 13-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel front camera
- Pulse +: 50-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel front camera
- Pulse Pro: 50-megapixel main camera, 50-megapixel front camera
The other features match the low prices of the smartphones. HMD has installed a 6.65-inch LCD display in the Pulse models. Its resolution of 1612 × 720 pixels achieves an HD resolution and a pixel density of 265 PPI. Above 300 PPI, the human eye can no longer see the individual pixels and almost all smartphones have at least full HD resolution.
The brightness of 480 nits may be sufficient for a PC screen indoors, but the smartphone display could be difficult to recognise when used in the sunshine. One reason why even many mid-range models currently achieve over 1000 nits. The refresh rate reaches up to 90 hertz. The housing is protected against dust and dripping water in accordance with IP52.
Source: HMD
The Unisoc T606 chipset used by HMD was introduced at the end of 2019 and is no longer the best choice even for entry-level smartphones. In addition to the modest computing power, it provides the Pulse models with 4G, NFC and Bluetooth 5.0.
The smartphones have a 3.5 mm audio connection. The 5000 mAh battery is charged via USB-C with up to 10 watts. A power supply unit is not included. HMD also offers a charger that is colour-coordinated with the Pulse Pro in "Glacier Green". Android 14 runs on the Pulse smartphones ex works. They will receive two major operating system updates.
There are further differences in the memory configuration, although the internal memory of all three devices can be expanded using a microSD card.
- Pulse: 4 GB RAM, 64 GB ROM
- Pulse +: 4 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM
- Pulse Pro: 6 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM
HMD Pulse
** HMD Pulse +**
Smartphones
−12%
EUR112,86 was EUR128,77
HMD Pulse Plus
128 GB, Midnight Blue, 6.56", Single SIM, 50 Mpx, 4G
Smartphones
−13%
EUR119,– was EUR136,17
HMD Pulse Plus
128 GB, Glacier Green, 6.56", Single SIM, 50 Mpx, 4G
** HMD Pulse Pro**
Header image: HMD
As a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.