There was a time when HMD, the brand once carrying Nokia’s proud legacy, drew design inspiration from Scandinavian minimalism — phones like the Nokia 7 Plus and 8 Sirocco still stand as reminders of that era. But the newly leaked HMD Pulse 2 Pro render paints a different story, one that’s more Cupertino than Espoo.
At first glance, you could be forgiven for mistaking the Pulse 2 Pro for an iPhone 17 prototype left out on a lavender café table. The shape of its dual-camera module is almost too familiar: two large sensors nested in a pill-shaped plate, which itself rests within a raised squircle. It’s a curious hybrid — Apple’s flat-sided design language with just a hint of Nokia’s old boldness. But make no mistake, this is an Android dressed up in iPhone cosplay.
The Twilight Purple finish only deepens the association. HMD’s render shows a smooth matte back, clean antenna lines, and subtle color gradients — the kind of visual polish we associate with Apple’s press shots. Even the marketing aura around the camera lenses, those faint circular energy rings, feel like a tongue-in-cheek nod to the Cupertino halo effect. If imitation is flattery, then HMD is downright poetic.
Under the hood, however, the specs tell a different tale. The Pulse 2 Pro is powered by a modest Unisoc T615, an SoC that’s more at home in mid-range devices than in anything premium. The display sees a notable bump — now a 6.7-inch FHD+ panel at 120 Hz, finally catching up to mainstream standards. There’s also IP54 dust and splash resistance, dual speakers, and NFC, which should make the phone more versatile. But the lack of 5G connectivity and the use of UFS 2.1 / 2.2 storage confirm this is still budget territory, no matter how glossy the camera island looks.
This duality — premium look, mid-range internals — has become HMD’s hallmark. The Finnish brand appears caught between nostalgia and necessity, blending visual mimicry with accessible pricing. It’s a survival strategy, but one that risks eroding the last of its design identity. When the original Pulse launched, it looked like a confident budget phone with its own face. The Pulse 2 Pro, at least from these early leaks, looks like it’s trying to borrow someone else’s.
To be fair, HMD isn’t alone in the mimic game. The Android world has seen its fair share of “iPhone-inspired” rears from Realme, Infinix, and even Xiaomi. Yet what stings is that HMD — the steward of a design lineage that once defined smartphone aesthetics — now seems content to trace Apple’s outlines. Maybe that’s what it takes to get attention in 2025’s crowded market, but it feels like watching a designer wear a counterfeit of their own greatest hits.
via Gizmochina