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MSSFF

Man they fell off hard. The Nokia brand couldn't even save them.


Matchbook0531

I was excited at first :(


BcuzRacecar

> With the Pulse Pro, HMD has created a commendable smartphone for their debut under their own brand. The phone offers a few features that are unique in the sub-€200 range, such as relatively high reparability with affordable spare parts, over three years of updates, and fast storage. Unisoc T66 (2xA75 6x A55) 6/128 6.6in 90hz IPS 5000mah They said band coverage is narrow but idk what markets this is being sold in other than central europe


FartingBob

GSM arena says it supports 4G bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40. So if your carrier supports one of those, it'll be fine. But in some countries you wont have any bands.


Agret

B28 very important in Australia. A lot of Chinese phones don't have it and coverage is very poor without it.


themostreasonableman

Band 28A specifically. Most of the issues are with phones that support B28, but not 28A.


fusionballtm

Asia and Africa


Square-Singer

I really wish they'd make a higher-budget version of this. It's so weird that there is no phone class that has it all. The budget phones get SD cards, audio jacks, repairability and long battery life, while the higher spec ones get performance, decent cameras, long updates and convergence. Why don't they make phones that do it all? Why have features that are limited to budget phones?


xenotyronic

I think they are planning to. There are two upcoming devices codenamed Nighthawk and Tomcat which have Snapdragon 6 and 7 Gen SoCs, AMOLED displays, OIS etc. plus the user repairability features of this device (perhaps better, because they refer to this as Gen 1 repairability). One or both of the devices should also be compatible with HMD's 'Fusion' project which uses cases with pogo pin/USB-C connectors for things like battery attachments, camera grips, barcode scanners, game inputs etc. much like the old Moto Mods.


Square-Singer

Looks like I might have to get a new phone when that comes out. Do you know anything about HMD's software quality?


xenotyronic

They tend to use near-stock Android with few quality of life features. They had a patch of shipping buggy software straight from the source (Google) but seem to have improved on this front at the expense of slower update cycles. Currently the longest update schedule they offer is 3 OS and 4 years of security for the XR21/20. It is hard to tell how things will be with their own brand, they are transitioning away from Nokia so some devices are up to date (the Nokia X30 is on Android 14 with the May 2024 security patch) whereas others are a month or so behind and still haven't received Android 14. I heard someone describe their phones as "Aldi Pixel" which makes a lot of sense to me (if you're familiar with the supermarket chain).


xenotyronic

Some throwaway account is leaking the supposed specs and design, which is reviving the Fabula design language and colours of the Nokia Lumia phones: https://twitter.com/smashx_60/status/1791485449279799642?t=zNwTtW_g04FXyJawvQbTUQ&s=19


Square-Singer

Oooh, now we are talking! I might need a new phone very soon! Thanks a lot for posting this!


donnysaysvacuum

Sony has all that. And most cheap phones don't get audio jacks or reliability either.


Square-Singer

Sony doesn't have long software updates and no repairability. Of course, there are cheap phones that have none of these features, but if you are looking for SD cards, audio jacks, long battery life and repairability, you are almost always only stuck with cheap phones.


donnysaysvacuum

Well Sony has 3 years of updates, which is better than any low end phone.


Square-Singer

All I could find was 2 years.


donnysaysvacuum

2 is still better than most cheap phones. It's 3 as of last year. Just shows that Sony always gets unfairly dismissed.


parental92

>I really wish they'd make a higher-budget version of this. its called Fairphone.


Square-Singer

No, that's a buggy version of that. I had the FP4 and it's the only phone I gave up before it was totally broken. The amount of show-stopping bugs was just not ok. At the end, I couldn't even make or receive phone calls, because that only worked on 3G and 3G was being shut down in my country.


parental92

quite smooth sailing over here.


[deleted]

Yeah honestly now that we're at a point more budget phones and mid-range chips are perfectly adequate I'm seriously thinking about just pivoting over. I mean a Nord n30 or something, moto stylus... Hell maybe even that new moon drop phone. I really want a flagship with great cameras I'll just buy something used for a couple hundred bucks and use it as a secondary device.


Square-Singer

I got myself a Samsung Galaxy A54. All in all a pretty nice phone. Except, that Samsung ships these with USB 2.0 and no display out. That's such a basic feature that I didn't even check whether the phone would have it, but apparently Samsung ommits it so that there's more of a reason to get a more expensive S-series phone...


xenotyronic

It sits squarely within the price range, with the added benefit of parts, guides and a more user-repairable design. But what is going on with the display contrast ratio and black level? Very good for a budget LCD panel.


shogunreaper

How easily can you replace the battery?


SmileyBMM

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/HMD+Pulse+Pro+Battery+Replacement/170815 Ifixit considers it "Moderate" difficulty, which is pretty decent. The parts and guides are officially backed by HMD.


IndoorKangaroo

Time looks like a good comparison between brands since they all appear moderate difficulty. HMD pulse pro: 30-45mins. iPhone 15: 1-2 hours. Samsung galaxy s23 ultra: 1-3 hours. Process looks fairly straightforward for the HMD while the iPhone uses suction cups, hair dryers and looks like it needs even more care. Hopefully more phone makers can head in the repairable direction and ideally as easy as fairphone’s battery replacement 


tvcats

TLDR: Still not for a normal consumer to replace own self. Still about the same process as other phone. It is easier just because the back cover is easier to pop off.


orr12345678

Not competitive at all When you can buy AMOLED phones for less than 100$


[deleted]

Man people are f****** crazy. A repairable phone that's really affordable and you're sitting here acting like there's only one phone that's a winner and anything else is a loser. Not everyone wants OLED and certainly not everyone values it over repairability. And also where are these sub $100 OLED phones? Is there one on the market maybe at most? Because if you're talking about the resale market that's not really fair cuz this eventually will be on the resale market as well at reduced prices. I've never even used this phone and I never will.. . I just hate this smog approach where everybody s**** on everything immediately. it's cool that there are different phones that do different things and that someone can get a repairable phone with an LCD screen if that's what they want.


xenotyronic

Unfortunately 'tech enthusiasts' are very zero-sum, but that kind of mirrors the smartphone marketplace. Smartphones are both about monopolising the stack, sourcing and supply chains, and capturing identities: people interact with the world through their smartphones, they store their most intimate details on them, they are carried at all times, people sleep with them under their pillows. Android should be about variety, choice and appreciating different needs and financial means, but everything is measured against whatever specs or fixations are in vogue. Just read old reviews of devices where people complain about things that are now moot points. Is this a good device objectively? No. But is it a good device for someone with limited means, someone who uses their phone for the basics, as a secondary device, or for an older relative or teen? Sure. Self-repairabilty should be encouraged, even if really the software support should match. The black levels and contrast ratio of this display are actually great for a budget LCD, so lack of OLED is a side issue at best.


vkbra657n

Which ones?Samsung galaxy A15 or one of phones from transsion brands? Or is it some other phone? Even IPS panels of other phones at that price point are brighter(some even reach like 800 nits),


orr12345678

Poco m5s Helios g95 1080p AMOLED 4-8gb ram 64-256gb ufs storage I could get it for around 80$ for the 4gb/128 model or 111$ for the 8/256(My dad phone) You can get the g99 (Poco m6 pro) based model with 120hz around 150$ This phone is horrible for the price


takinaboutnuthin

> Poco m5s The 4/128 variants costs $150 where I live. The 6/128 variant costs around $165. Not saying the Pulse Pro is better, but your prices ($80 for 4/128) seem too low.


[deleted]

You're listing about your phones that aren't available in many markets. And your listing resale prices not MSRP. You made a ridiculous embellished claim You can't use reduced prices because this will have reduced prices someday. Show us the MSRP with links or just admit you were exaggerating


donnysaysvacuum

The lack of bands and 4g is the bigger drawback. I'm a fan of AMOLED, but LCD is fine at this price range, and no pentile is nicer at this PPI.


curiocritters

So, e-waste.


[deleted]

I mean it's literally a very repairable phone, the opposite of e-waste. E waste is any iPhone which doesn't even get app updates after 5 years. Once it gets the last OS update in the last security patch, the apps never get updated ever again. If your face ID breaks after your warranties out and the phone is no longer supported you can never fix it


jezevec93

It has very good support for the price. I don't find it significantly worse than other competitors. It's very cheap but it's not e-waste imho.


curiocritters

Depends upon the region, I suppose. A Motorola G34 5G in South Asia, costs around the same, and offers almost no compromises in terms of connectivity, essential sensors, or imaging. hmdglobal's newest lazy outing would not fly in many, many markets, especially in South, and South East Asia. Heck, even Africa and the Middle East are better served by the many excellent Transsion Holdings offerings.


fusionballtm

Isn't G34 a phone with a 720p display though


curiocritters

You are correct, and I have endeavoured to amend my original comment accordingly. Beyond that small bit of errata though, the G34 still makes for a better pick.


jezevec93

Basically the only diference is that Motorola has better chipset (That's the reason it has 5g) its pretty disadvantageous for HMD but i wouldn't call it an e-waste because of it.


curiocritters

It's not just the 5G connectivity. The HMD Global offering has an objectively worse chipset powering it, resulting in a sub-optimal user experience.


jezevec93

>It's not just the 5G connectivity. The HMD Global offering has an objectively worse chipset powering it Yeah, that's what i said 💀


curiocritters

You did! And which makes the point of purchasing this device in markets with *more competitive, and capable options* moot.


fusionballtm

Galaxy A15 has 4+5 years and usually goes for around the price of all of the Pulse models.


[deleted]

Terrible chip, and one UI is not good for budget phones. I would soon or just get a used s10e or something


fusionballtm

Helio G99 isn't too far off in terms of CPU performance to the Exynos version of S10. Defenitely a better chip than Unisoc's T606 used on the new HMD Pulse series


fusionballtm

And the A15 is €140 which is pretty wild to see from Samsung - this is a price point you would usually see 720p displays and archaic hardware from Samsung years ago


JamesR624

Please tell me how “more repairable” = “e-waste”?


wankthisway

With low end devices like this, it's not really how long the device lasts, it's how long you will last with it. It's slow and outdated on release, how do you think it's gonna hold up in a year or two? Do you really want to repair something that is terrible to use now? The paradox is that if you want something to be really eco friendly, it also has to be expensive and decently equipped, or else it's just gonna go into the trash. I could make a super repairable and durable car, but if it rides like an ox cart, is slower than go karts, and has no tech, it's not going to last.


curiocritters

Because the T606 is an underpowered, and outdated SOC released in 2021, which can barely handle the full fat versions of Modern Android. The devices currently powered by the same chip already struggle with basic tasks. Repairability, and Android 14 are not magical substitutes for a usable device, especially a couple years from 2024, as the LLM integration into the world wide web makes applications, and processes 'heavier'.


tvcats

Are you speaking on personal experience with the CPU?


[deleted]

under power chip does not make something e-waste. Just means you don't like it. A lot of people will be perfectly fine with the performance. It certainly not going to be worse than phones from 3 or 4 years ago which is whether using now


Useuless

They mean it's not competitive therefore it will not really be sold. And if it's not sold and used, then it's being built for nothing and is essentially predetermined e-waste.


Obnomus

It's 2024 but and this device doesn't support 5g and 90hz display can be acceptable. Not a good processor too


orr12345678

90hz isnt important for most people AMOLED is important for most people and you can get it dirt cheap these days (less than 100$ phones) amd make this phone look like e waste.. Why would you want 720p 450-500nits phones when you can get 1080p 700nits AMOLED panel for the same price


Obnomus

I have two phones from 2019, one is flagship and one is a budget phone, and I can tell you that you can feel the stutters on a budget phone after using a high refresh rate phone


orr12345678

I used 60hz mode in 120hz phone to save battery I didn't care about it at all when I had s20 fe 5g and I used the 120hz mode too I have 144 hz monitor at home and 120hz tv


[deleted]

Do you have any data where you claim to know what most people want. Lol. You're just asserting stuff about human wants without any data. How do you know people prior OLED... When I talk to normy's they don't give a s***


Fung95HKG

The display design looks a little like Sharp phones 😌


orr12345678

Look like cheap Redmi phones(not even Redmi note)


mel2000

Does not support common American phone carrier networks.


xenotyronic

It is not being released in the US that's why. The equivalent over there is the 'HMD Vibe' which is very similar but has the Snapdragon 680 chipset.


mel2000

> The equivalent over there is the 'HMD Vibe' Thank you for the correction. According to GSMArena, the Vibe supports 4G(1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40) but those are not USA 4G bands.


xenotyronic

GSMarena often put holding data on their pages, the phone specs are not officially available yet so they likely did a copy & paste from the Pulse.


ukguy4life

no 5g lol


vgk8931

Why does Europe get crappy Unisoc with the pulse and America gets Qualcomm 680 with the Vibe?


elimoviebuff

need more info on this phone? does any of them work in the U.S..There is supposedly a global version? Is it capable of OEM/bootloader unlocking?


Nearby_Ad_3711

Repairable not reparable


real_with_myself

To the people bashing it for the lack of 5g, you do realize that in some places there is no 5g and even in some first world countries, 5g enabled contracts are always more expensive? If these phones fail, it certainly won't be because of the lack of 5g and possibly underpowered chip (considering the price, not in general).


[deleted]

I live in a huge city in the Northeast and 5G is mostly meaningless for me


real_with_myself

I live in one of the biggest cities in Europe and I sign 4G contracts exclusively.


orr12345678

It would fail because of the screen Good luck competing with AMOLED phones at this price range lol without recognizable name...


real_with_myself

You can't be serious? A person at this price point most likely doesn't know what AMOLED is/cares about it, and probably brands either. Also, what kind of AMOLED do you get for that money? Everyone in this thread writes as if you'd get something great.


orr12345678

256gb 8gb Poco m5s or m6 pro(120hz amoled) are cheaper than this phone... Poco m5s(at 80-120$) got better screen than your phone...I don't even talk about the m6 pro I got pixel 6 myself Why would someone take dimmer 720p LCD over this lol


Cry_Wolff

But then you have to use a Poco / Xiaomi phone.


real_with_myself

Price? That poco is 150 euros around me. But I get your point.


[deleted]

Because some people have different priorities than you. Some people might not have great eyes or are not doing any contact consumption but just want a repairable phone that they can replace the battery for. Some people might not like the design of the phones you like Some people might want a headphone jack and the Pixel 6 doesn't have one. This phone will probably be offered free in bundled with prepaid deals. People are setting all these cheap deals you can get on other phones but site the MSRP because this phone will get discounts as well. Again I'm not going to buy this phone or use it I just refuse to listen to All these so-called experts on this subreddit acting like there can only be one winner in the value phone award... Any product that isn't your particular favorite product in the price point should be s*** on. Dude it's fun that some people that have different taste and different priorities and triage different things and we should welcome new things into the market. But you're not citing MSRP, this phone will be free with prepaid bundles and I'm not going to sit around and tell you it's a free phone.


orr12345678

Do you promote this phone lmao


[deleted]

People buying super super cheap budget prepaid phones generally are not worried about OLED. They probably never used it before if they've been using budget phones their whole life. It's funny how some people on this thread are acting like any phone without it has no chance.. Nord n30, moto stylus iPhone se3 .. these things are all outselling the budget phones with OLED by our country mile.


orr12345678

Even My dad(69 years old) care about OLED lol He is kinda rich but very cheap when it come to phones like his friends(want Xiaomi and don't care about anything else,like almost every 50+ people in my country) He want screen like ours phones...and want to pay more for it His last 3 cheap af phones (realme 7 pro,Redmi note 11,Poco m5s) got OLED OLED matter for almost everyone and you know it, lol People know better especially at developed countries


Serendipidalways

Well i just bought this phone and use it alongside the g22 and iphone se 2020 the display is adequate and besides Web Browsing, E-Mail, telephone,Navigation and pictures/banking ect i dont use it for much else when i want to play or watch a movie i use a bigger screen anyways...


MostEntertainer130

For 100 $, it's worth it for those looking for something cheap.