HMD Crest review: The best phone under Rs. 20,000 in Nepal!

The 20K segment is pretty competitive with the likes of Redmi, Vivo, Realme, and such topping the charts. But there is a new contender which might disrupt the market. It’s none other than the HMD Crest, and its 6/128GB variant costs exactly 19,000 rupees, which is around 4,000 rupees cheaper in Nepal compared to India. At this price, you get a high refresh rate AMOLED display along with a powerful 5G processor, which no other budget phone under 20,000 rupees in Nepal offers. And I have already used this phone for over a week, and I’ll be sharing my experience in this HMD Crest Review. Before getting to the review, let’s take a quick look at the specifications, shall we?

HMD Crest 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: 6GB + 8GB extendable
• ROM: 128GB + 256GB expandable with MicroSD card
• OS: Android 14
• Rear Camera: Dual Camera (50MP Primary + 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
• Color Options: Blue, Purple, Red
• Price in Nepal: NPR 18,999 (6/128GB)
• Buy HMD Crest here

About HMD

Some of you might be hearing the name “HMD” for the first time. HMD is a Finland-based smartphone brand that has been making Nokia’s Android and feature phones. But recently, HMD has started launching phones under its own name.

Display and Design

• 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel
• 90Hz refresh rate

The thing I liked the most about the HMD Crest is its display. Usually, brands like Redmi, Samsung, and Vivo provide LCD screens, but here, you get an AMOLED panel. On top of that, it’s a Full HD display with a 90Hz refresh rate, no compromises made, whatsoever. Whether you're browsing the web, watching TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube videos, everything looks crisp and smooth. The only thing missing is a stereo speaker setup; otherwise, the multimedia experience would have been even better. Still, getting a proper AMOLED panel at such an affordable price makes it easy to overlook small shortcomings. Considering everything, the display of the HMD Crest is undoubtedly the best in the 20,000-rupee segment. Moving on to design and build, the phone looks quite modern. Instead of a U-shaped notch, HMD has given a hole-punch cutout at the front, and the hands-on feel is quite nice. It has flat edges for a modern aesthetic, and the power button also doubles as a fingerprint sensor. The build material is entirely plastic, but surprisingly, it doesn’t feel that cheap.

Repairability

One important aspect of this phone is its repairability. According to HMD, you can replace the battery, charging port, back cover, and even the screen yourself. There’s a Repair Kit available for around 2,000 rupees, though it’s not available in Nepal yet. However, the company has announced that it will be coming soon.

Performance

• Unisoc T760 5G (4nm)
• 6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB storage UFS 2.2 (fixed)
• Android 14

Now, let's talk about performance. The HMD Crest comes with the Unisoc T760 5G chipset, 6GB RAM, and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage. The AnTuTu score of the HMD Crest 5G is 460,000, which is the highest among phones under 20,000 rupees in Nepal. Another highlight is its UI, as it runs stock Android 14, offering a clean software experience with no ads or bloatware. Easily the cleanest UI experience on a budget phone. For gaming, casual games like Subway Surfers, Temple Run, and Clash Royale run smoothly, and even PUBG plays decently at 40 fps. Overall, the performance and software of the HMD Crest are excellent for the price.

Connectivity

• 5G, 4G, VoLTE
• Bluetooth 5.0

In terms of connectivity, the HMD Crest supports all the necessary frequency bands for NTC and Ncell, including Band 20. This means even if you live in a rural area, you’ll still get a strong 4G connection for NTC. In urban areas, carrier aggregation is supported for faster 4G speeds. Meanwhile, VoLTE works on NTC alongside carrier video calling.

Battery Life

• 5,000 mAh battery (33W wired charging)
• 33W PD power adapter inside the box

Battery life is also really impressive. It has a large 5,000 mAh battery, which easily lasted me a day and a half on average usage. When it comes to charging, other brands need to learn from HMD because it includes a 33W PD charger in the box, along with a Type-C to Type-C cable—something even many midrange and premium midrange phones don’t offer. This charger can even be used to charge other PD-supported devices like iPhones and MacBooks. As for the phone itself, it takes around 1.5 hours to fully charge.

Cameras

• Dual camera setup at the back
• (50MP main, 2MP depth)
• 50MP selfie camera (hole-punch cutout)

Finally, let's discuss the cameras. The HMD Crest has a total of three camera sensors: a 50MP primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 50MP selfie camera. While the specs sound good, the actual camera quality is just average and the app itself also feels slow.

Daylight

The daylight photos are just average, the details are not adequate, while the white balance is slightly off.

Portraits

The portraits are just decent if not great. The dynamic range is just as in every other budget phone. Overall,

Selfie

The selfies are nice though and usable. More like social media ready, I'd say.

Lowlight

When the sun goes down, the HMD Crest's night mode can offer some help. Although I don't recommend clicking night shots from a budget phone unless you have a special moment to be captured. Video recording is limited to 1080p at 30fps on both the front and rear cameras, and the overall video quality is quite average. But again, this is a budget phone, so there's no point in being too picky. In good lighting conditions, it captures decent photos, and I especially liked the selfie camera. It performs better than budget phones from other Chinese brands.

HMD Crest Review: Conclusion

So, in conclusion, for 19,000 rupees, the HMD Crest is the best budget phone in Nepal right now. It offers a great 90Hz AMOLED display, smooth performance, a clean stock Android experience, and an all-day battery life. On top of that, HMD includes a 33W PD charger in the box, and its Unisoc processor supports 5G, making it future-proof. If you're looking for a well-balanced budget phone around 20,000 rupees, the HMD Crest is the one to go for!

HMD Crest Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

• Excellent AMOLED panel on a budget
• Clean Stock Android Experience
• 33W PD charger in the box

Cons

• Average back camera
• Single Speaker