Introducing HMD Crest 5G Smartphone in India
HMD Crest 5G Review: After parting ways with Nokia’s branding, HMD launched its smartphone series in India with the Crest lineup, targeting the sub-15K INR budget category. The HMD Crest 5G, the base model of this series, offers value-driven features and a unique gimmick to stand out in the competitive market.Is the HMD Crest 5G worth the investment? Let’s delve into its offerings and see if it lives up to the expectations in this budget segment.
HMD Crest 5G Design and Display
HMD aimed to make a strong impression in the affordable price range with the Crest model, focusing on design and display quality. The phone features a flat glass panel on the back, providing a premium feel uncommon in this price segment. Despite a simple design, the Midnight Blue color option with a glittery effect adds visual appeal. The device is lightweight at 205 grams and has an IP52 rating for water resistance, making it durable and stylish.
Impressive Display Features
The HMD Crest boasts a 6.67-inch OLED display with Dragon Trail glass protection, offering FHD+ resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The screen delivers sharp visuals and vibrant colors typical of OLED panels. It supports Widevine L1 and HDR, enhancing the viewing experience for users who enjoy streaming content. Overall, the phone’s display quality stands out as a key feature, providing an excellent platform for multimedia consumption.
DIY Self-Repair Feature of Crest Series
The Crest series stands out due to its DIY self-repair feature, emphasized even during its announcement. The company provides repair kits, genuine spare parts, and free guides on their official website, making it convenient for users to fix their devices independently.
The repair tool kit is available for purchase separately, but HMD included one in the review box, and the guides offered online are helpful, especially for the initial steps.While the DIY repair process is straightforward with the provided resources, beginners may find it overwhelming and may opt to have a professional handle the repairs instead.
Even though the fingerprint reader’s cable caused some difficulty during reassembly, the focus on making smartphones easier to repair and providing access to self-repair parts sets this brand ahead of others. While repairability is not a top priority for most phone buyers, it remains a valuable feature that distinguishes this brand’s offerings.
Underrated UNISOC 5G Processors
Addressing the elephant in the room, the UNISOC processor has been commonly found in entry-level phones, but our report discovered that the affordable yet capable 5G processors introduced by UNISOC in 2023 are underrated. The UNISOC T760 in the HMD Crest performs similarly to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and Dimensity 7025 based on synthetic benchmarks, but Qualcomm and MediaTek processors are still strong alternatives in this category, suggesting a potential strategic move to switch to these brands in the future.
Efficient Battery and Clean Software Interface
The Crest smartphone features a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging, providing a day’s usage on a single charge. The stock Android 14 OS ensures smooth performance, although lacking in customization compared to other brands. The device is free from bloatware but may lack unique features found in custom Android versions. The company’s focus on software and limited updates suggests a deliberate strategy for this budget-friendly phone.
HMD Crest 5G Camera Quality in Smartphone
You should not solely rely on camera resolution when buying a smartphone, as demonstrated by the HMD Crest. Despite boasting a 50MP primary camera, the image quality does not match that of flagship phones with similar resolutions.
In bright or well-lit conditions, the camera captures sharp images with plenty of detail. The HDR settings effectively enhance contrast in daylight scenes, providing a generally good experience. However, occasional issues with overexposure from the rear camera were noted, even after adjusting focus and exposure levels. Future software updates could address these issues to further improve photo quality.
The Crest budget phone falls short in comparison to the Moto G64 due to its lack of an ultra-wide-angle lens as a secondary camera. Instead, the Crest only includes a 2MP depth sensor, which primarily aids in portrait shots but lacks a distinct function beyond complementing the main camera.
Enhanced Selfie Experience with 50MP Front Camera
On the front, the phone boasts a 50MP sensor to improve selfie quality. The front camera performs well in good lighting, offering good detail and color. However, images may appear warmer than desired and sometimes have blown-out highlights. Potential software updates from HMD could rectify these issues, enhancing the overall selfie experience.
Phone Camera Performance in Low Light
Another area where this phone struggles is in low light conditions for both front and back cameras. Night mode attempts to brighten shots but results in flat colors, visible noise, and loss of details. Video quality is also lacking, with shaky recordings due to poor stabilization despite shooting at 1080p@30fps.
Value Proposition of HMD Crest 5G in Budget Smartphone Segment
HMD Crest is priced at 14,999 INR but discounts bring it down to under 13,000, with Amazon listing it at 11,999 INR. The phone stands out with its OLED display, durability, and repairability focus, making it a competitive choice in the budget segment. The only slightly pricier alternative is the CMF Phone 1 at 15,999 INR.
