Taking a break from TikTok

The Digital Detox Mode is something I’ve seen only in presentations because even though I’m using the phone, it’s not actually arriving until later in September. I can appreciate that HMD says the mode was informed by research on how people form habits around their phones, and the idea that this is a kind of half-step above embracing a dumb phone to forget about social media entirely.

But it really doesn’t seem that different to what’s on most smartphones already.

The Skyline by default has app icons rendered in monochrome to make them less appealing, which is an option in most versions of Android and iOS. Detox Mode goes further by desaturating your background and removing certain apps that you select in the settings, so they won’t be there to tempt you to tap on them.

Notifications for these apps are held until Detox mode is turned off, and you can also remove message notifications from certain (or all) contacts.

You can set this mode on a schedule or a timer, and opt for a soft detox (you can manually turn it off) or a hard detox (you cannot turn it off). However, I think HMD’s ambition might have run up against the reality of Android here because a hard detox can easily be avoided by powering the phone off and on again.

I’m sure plenty of parents will hear about the Detox Mode and consider whether the Skyline would be a good social-limiting phone for their kids, but I’m not sure it really works that way. The existing screen time controls in Android and iOS are much better for that, and this seems more like something to help exercise self-control.

If you want to try to be more present during family time, or you find yourself doom-scrolling too much, this could be an option for you. But you might also be able to organise a similar thing with Downtime on iOS or Digital Wellbeing on Android.

The nuts and bolts

The other interesting selling point of the Skyline is its claim of letting users repair the phone. The Skyline looks great, with perfectly acceptable mid-range specs, so the ability to do cheap DIY repairs in the event of a screen smash is a really enticing idea. HMD has partnered with iFixit to sell cheap official parts, and to host easy-to-follow repair guides. If you do as you’re told, you won’t even void your warranty.

Getting into the phone is pretty easy. It requires only two things: a Torx 3 screwdriver and a pry tool or guitar pick. Turning a screw at the bottom of the device pops open a section of the glass back panel, into which you insert your pick and run it around the perimeter to release a series of clips. The hardest part is trying not to accidentally turn the phone on by gripping the power button.

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I followed the steps to replace the battery, and it’s certainly not as easy as just turning the phone over and letting it fall out, as with an early 2000s phone. But then an early 2000s phone was much less complicated overall.

You need a delicate touch to handle the battery cover and ribbon cables, and as with most modern devices, the battery itself is glued into place. The guide calls for you to pull the unit out, remove the glue with a spudger, clean the area with isopropyl alcohol, and then apply the new adhesive that comes with replacement battery kits.

My main issue with the repairability angle is that I’m not convinced it will actually result in people being able to hold on to their phone longer.

HMD is promising just two years of Android updates and three years of security updates, meaning after that time there’s no guarantee your phone will stay compatible and protected. If you drop your Skyline and smash the screen, you may end up paying hundreds less to repair it versus another phone. But with Samsung and Google offering seven or eight years of guaranteed updates, the value calculus gets tricky.

To be clear, it’s very impressive to have a device with these specs and this level of repairability at this price, even if most of the features come with familiar mid-range phone caveats.

Wireless charging and water resistance alone on a device you can take apart is mind-boggling, but unless Detox Mode turns out to be substantially more advanced than I’ve seen so far, the Skyline is more or less a slightly more expensive mid-range phone with a focus on digital wellbeing and potentially cheaper repairs.

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