HMD Crest 5G Review: Can This Repairable Budget Phone Rise Above the Competition?

HMD wanted to make a strong first impression in this price range, which is reflected in the Crest’s design and display. While the design is subjective, this affordable phone does not feel cheap. HMD Crest might not stand out visually, nevertheless it makes up for it with build quality. This is thanks to the flat glass panel on the back which isn’t common in this range.

I received the sober Midnight Blue color option but the glittery effect adds some much-needed visual texture. It weighs 205 grams and measures just 8.4mm in thickness. Water splashes pose no threat to the HMD Crest since it has an IP52 rating.

On the front, the Crest sports a 6.67-inch OLED display that is protected by Dragon Trail glass. Bezels appear uniform at first glance till you see its chin. It offers FHD+ resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and a 20:9 aspect ratio.

The screen is one of the phone’s strong points with sharp visuals and good colors, which is expected on an OLED. For those who frequently watch shows on streaming platforms, the HMD Crest supports Widevine L1 and HDR, ensuring a great viewing experience.

The OLED display certainly gives this phone an edge over the competition. However, it has one notable drawback. It lacks the option to switch between natural and vivid tones. This is a basic feature that many users would expect. The only tinkering allowed is with the white balance, which is somewhat disappointing.

The feature that sets the Crest series apart from the crowd is DIY self-repairs. Even during the announcement, the ease of repair was a highlight. The company offers repair kits, genuine spare parts, and free guides, all available on their official website.

The repair tool kit is sold separately for 999 INR, although HMD included one in the review box. The guides provided on the website were useful, and the initial steps were straightforward. However, the process may still seem daunting to beginners, who might prefer having a professional handle the repairs.

Even I struggled a bit while putting it back together since the fingerprint reader’s cable refused to sit in its right place. Making smartphones easier to repair and providing access to parts for self-repair is already a couple of steps ahead of what most brands offer. While repairability is a valuable feature, it typically isn’t a major consideration for most buyers when choosing a phone.

Addressing the elephant in the room, the UNISOC processor. The chip from UNISOC is often seen in entry level phones, but surprisingly, it wasn’t a dealbreaker here. UNISOC introduced affordable yet capable 5G processors in 2023, and our report found these chips to be quite underrated.

Based on synthetic benchmarks, the UNISOC T760 in the HMD Crest performs comparably to the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and the Dimensity 7025. However, both Snapdragon and Dimensity processors remain strong alternatives in this category. So considering a switch to Qualcomm or MediaTek chips could be a strategic move in the future.

Performance throttling wasn’t an issue and the phone handled every day use and multitasking without any stutters. The 90Hz display made things feel pretty snappy as well. While the HMD Crest did get a bit warm during gaming, it didn’t get unconfortable or impact the overall experience. Playing BGMI,the phone maintained a stable 40FPS on the Ultra framerate setting. Since the HMD Crest isn’t designed as a gaming phone, it’s best suited for casual gaming.

The Crest houses a large 5,000mAh battery pack that is fairly standard for this segment along with support for 33W wired fast charging. Combined with the stock Android 14 OS, the phone easily lasted through most of my day on a single charge. Charging took around an hour so there was no prolonged downtime either. I averaged just under 6 hours of screen-on time with moderate use. Decent all things considered, but not class-leading.

Aside for HMD’s “My Device” and Google’s preloaded apps, the phone is free from bloatware. However, the clean UI of stock Android can be a double-edged sword. While the experience is streamlined and straightforward, it lacks the customizability and additional features often found in the custom versions of Android offered by established companies like Samsung. So while the experience is clean, the software lacks unique flair that other manufacturers might provide.

A smartphone isn’t all about hardware and also blends software to establish brand identity. For a budget phone, this approach seems like a calculated choice by the company. Hopefully, HMD has more planned for us in this area. Additionally, the phone is promised only one major OS update and two years of security patches.

You should never base your smartphone purchase solely on camera resolution, and the HMD Crest demonstrates why. While the 50MP primary camera on the rear may sound impressive, similar to those found on flagship phones, the image quality is not on the same level.

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, there were occasional issues with overexposure from the rear camera, even after adjusting the focus and exposure levels. Future software updates could address these issues to further improve photo quality.

In comparison to other budget phones like the Moto G64, the Crest falls short in one area. While the G64 features an ultra-wide-angle lens as a secondary camera, the Crest includes only a 2MP depth sensor. This depth sensor primarily aids in portrait shots and lacks a distinct function beyond complementing the main camera.

On the front, the phone features a 50MP sensor designed to ‘level up’ your selfie game. The front camera delivers decent performance with good detail and color in favorable lighting conditions. However, the shots often come out warmer than intended and occasionally suffer from blown-out highlights. With future software updates, HMD could address these issues to enhance the overall selfie experience.

Another area where this phone falters is in low light scenes from the front and back cameras. Night mode (including Night Selfie mode) raises exposure to brighten up shots, however, you trade it with flat colors, visible noise, and loss of details. There are times it works as intended, though, it’s a hit or miss for me. Videos are a hurdle as well. HMD Crest can shoot at 1080p@30fps from the selfie and rear camera. The videos captured are passable but stabilization is sorely lacking, leading to shaky recordings.

HMD Crest has an official price tag of 14,999 INR but the discounts offered by the company bring it down to just under 13,000. Right now, it is listed on Amazon India for as low as 11,999 INR. So if you’re on a tight budget, the HMD Crest 5G offers a compelling value proposition in the budget smartphone segment.

Its vibrant OLED display, durable build, and focus on repairability set it apart from competitors like the Redmi 13 5G. Overall, the phone is a competitive choice for those seeking a reliable and affordable smartphone. The only phone I’d choose over this is the CMF Phone 1, but it is slightly more expensive with a 15,999 INR price tag.