HMD probably makes the most repairable smartphones in the market. Now, the company entered India with two new phones — HMD Crest and Crest Max. These two phones have very few things setting them apart from one another. And the vanilla HMD Crest is now also available in Nepal. Let's delve deeper into the HMD Crest series in this article while also discussing its official price in Nepal.

HMD Crest Series Overview

Design and Display

The HMD Crest series looks pretty much the same with flat frames and slightly curved edges. Both the phones have a rectangular camera island with two large circular cutouts. They also have an IP52 dust and water resistance. The base model has an LED flashlight at the side of these cameras, while the HMD Crest Max has a third camera and a flashlight. In terms of colors, both phones have three options. The former is available in Midnight Blue, Royal Pink, and Lush Lilac, while the latter comes in Aqua Green, Deep Purple, and Royal Pink. On the front, the HMD Crest series packs a 6.67-inch OLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. Furthermore, the screen stretches FHD+ in resolution with a 9 0Hz refresh rate. The USP HMD phones are their repairability, and the HMD Crest and Crest Max are no different in this regard. You can swap out the batteries, charging ports, and even display from the comfort of your home.

Performance

Both the phones from the HMD Crest series are equipped with the UNISOC T760 chipset as their primary driver. As per HMD, the UNISOC chip scores over 510,000 on the AnTuTu benchmark. However, AnTuTu's website lists a score of just 222,273, which is less than half of what's claimed. Hence, HMD probably ran the test on an older version of the benchmarking platform. Whatever the case, the silicon comes with 6nm fabrication, eight cores, and a peak clock speed of 2.2 GHz. The two phones are different from one another in the configuration department. The HMD Crest comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM. On the other hand, HMD Crest Max is available in 8GB + 256GB memory and storage combo. Both phones offer virtual memory extension as well as external memory support. Furthermore, they come with Android 14 out of the box and will receive software updates for the next two years.

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Camera and the rest

The cameras on these phones are one of the major differences between the two types of hardware. As I mentioned earlier, HMD Crest comes with two rear cameras, while the Max variant packs an extra shooter on the back. That being said, you get a 50MP primary shooter coupled with a 2MP depth sensor on the base model. Meanwhile, the HMD Crest Max has a 64MP main, 5MP ultrawide, and a 2MP depth shooter. In terms of the front camera, both the phones are equipped with a 50MP unit. While the hardware is there, these phones are capable of hands-free selfies with gesture controls. The HMD Crest series comes with a 5,000 mAh battery in their tanks and supports 33W fast charging. Thanks to the processor they pack both these phones support 5G connectivity. Additionally, you also get WiFi 5 and Bluetooth v5.0 for further wireless connection. In the meantime, for wired connections, you get a 3.5mm headphone jack and USB Type-C port. They have a dual microphone setup, however, miss out on stereo speakers.

HMD Crest Series Specifications

• Design: Monotone design, flat frames, 2.5D curved edges, IP52-rated
• Display: 6.67” OLED Panel, 90Hz, 20:9 aspect ratio
• Resolution: FHD+ (1,080 x 2,400)
• Chipset: Octa-core UNISOC T760 (6nm)
• RAM:
  • HMD Crest: 6GB + 8GB extendable
  • HMD Crest Max: 8GB + extendable
• ROM:
  • HMD Crest: 128GB + 256GB expandable with MicroSD card
  • HMD Crest Max: 256GB + expandable with MicroSD card
• OS: Android 14
• Rear Camera:
  • HMD Crest: Dual Camera (50MP Primary + 2MP Depth Sensor)
  • HMD Crest Max: Triple Camera (64MP Primary + 5MP Ultrawide + 2MP Depth Sensor)
• Front Camera: 50MP Camera (Centre-aligned hole-punch cutout)
• Security: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock
• Sensors: Accelerometer (G-sensor), Ambient Light, E-compass, Gyroscope
• Navigation: GPS, A-GPS, Galileo
• Battery: 5,000 mAh cell with 33W fast charging
• Connectivity: Dual SIM, 5G, WiFi 5, Hotspot, Bluetooth v5.0, USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
• Colour Options: Blue (Crest), Green (Crest Max), Purple, Red

HMD Crest Price in Nepal and Availability

Only the vanilla version is currently available in Nepal. The HMD Crest price in Nepal is NPR 19,000 for the sole 6/128GB trim.

• Meanwhile, check out our CMF Phone 1 review video: