In Short:
The HMD Crest series, the first HMD smartphones without Nokia branding, will be launched in India soon. The launch date is confirmed for July 25 via a teaser on X. The smartphones will feature a glass rear panel, sold on Amazon India, and designed for self-repairability. Bollywood actress Sanya Malhotra will be the brand ambassador. The series may include Crest and Crest Max 5G models, possibly a rebrand of the HMD Pulse with Android 14 and a 5,000mAh battery.
HMD Crest series — the first HMD branded smartphones without Nokia branding — are all set to launch in India soon. The Finnish manufacturer confirmed the launch date of the new smartphones on Tuesday via a teaser on X. The teaser doesn’t reveal much about the device, but it is confirmed to feature a rear panel that is made of glass. The HMD Crest series will be sold via Amazon in the country. The handsets are said to be made in India. Like recent HMD phones, the upcoming series is also designed around the concept of self-repairability.
HMD Crest Series India Launch Timeline
The official HMD India account (@HMDdevicesIN) posted about the upcoming launch of the HMD Crest series that is scheduled to take place on July 25. The image shared by the brand shows the rear panel of the phone. Further, Amazon India has created a dedicated landing page on its website to tease the arrival of new handsets.
The Amazon listing suggests that the HMD Crest series‘ rear panel will have a glossy finish, and will be made of glass. The listing highlights the portrait imaging capabilities of the upcoming phone. Further, the handset will come with easy self-repair features. It is confirmed to be made in India, and HMD has announced that Bollywood actress Sanya Malhotra will be the brand ambassador for the upcoming lineup.
While the Finnish smartphone maker has only mentioned the HMD Crest series, we can expect it to include the Crest and Crest Max 5G models.
The HMD Crest is largely speculated to debut as a rebrand of the HMD Pulse. The latter was launched in Europe in April this year with a price tag of EUR 140 (roughly Rs. 12,460). It was previously rumoured to debut with the HMD Arrow moniker.
Readers might recall that the HMD Pulse runs on Android 14 and is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 10W charging. It sports a 6.65-inch HD+ (720×1,612 pixels) LCD screen with 90Hz refresh rate. The HMD Pulse runs on an octa-core 12nm Unisoc T606 chipset. It boasts a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
