HMD Global is widely known in foreign markets such as Europe and Asia, but in reality most people recognize it as the company behind today's line of Nokia cell phones. After years of manufacturing cell phones bearing the Nokia name (including modern versions of classic phones like the Nokia 8110 "banana phone"), HMD is finally releasing its own brand of cell phones.

Indeed, the HMD Vibe will soon be available in the U.S. to compete in the budget space. Meanwhile, the HMD Pulse, Pulse Plus, and Pulse Pro make up the company's new lineup, and these three devices are aimed at foreign markets. Either way, these first HMD-branded phones will help the company increase brand awareness.

HMD's Vibe will officially arrive in May at an attractive price of $149 through HMD's website and major retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon, although the Vibe will not score any style points with its generic-looking design, some notable specs that are not typical for a phone in this price range. Here's a quick rundown of those specs:

Most notably, the 6.56-inch HD+ display offers a 90Hz refresh rate, which should make animations and videos look smoother. At this price, the HMD Vibe has IP52-grade water and dust resistance. Even better, it also has a standard 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot for expanded storage. [but will prove to have what it takes to overtake top performers like the Google Pixel 7a, Samsung Galaxy A35, and OnePlus 12R.

As the tagline "pro" suggests, the HMD Pulse Pro is the top-of-the-line Android smartphone in the HMD lineup. No, it's not as good as other pro smartphones like the iPhone 15 Pro or the Google Pixel 8 Pro, but it still has a solid package aimed at power users, thanks to its dual cameras, large battery capacity, and some excellent software features.

Content creators are treated to additional selfie gestures with a 50MP front-facing camera that performs actions based on hand gestures, and the Pulse Pro's Super Portrait mode can capture selfies in sharp detail when it is dark Pulse Pro's Super Portrait mode allows you to capture selfies in sharp detail when it's dark.

If that's not enough, the Pulse Pro also features an IP52 rating, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, biometric face unlock, microSD card expandable storage, and faster 20W wired charging. In Europe, the HMD Pulse Pro will be available at a later date and will retail for €180 (~$192).

Rounding out the lineup are the HMD Pulse and Pulse Plus, as the HMD Pulse and Pulse Plus are positioned as the little brothers of the Pulse Pro. However, the HMD naming convention seems to have nothing to do with display size, as both Pulse and Pulse Plus have the same 6.56" HD+ display with a 90 Hz refresh rate. In fact, the rest of the specs for both models are similar to the Pro, including a Unisoc T606 processor, 5,000 mAh battery, and similar RAM and storage options.

The only difference is that the HMD Pulse and Pulse Plus replace the Pro's 50 MP selfie cam with an 8 MP front camera. Because the selfie camera is scaled down, it also lacks the selfie gestures and extra camera features found on the Pulse Pro. Still, the good thing about the three HMD Pulse models is that they are all eligible for HMD's Repair It Yourself (RIY) service, which makes it easy to replace damaged parts that the average person could do themselves.

And finally, it is also worth mentioning that all three HMD Pulse models offer two years of OS upgrades and three years of security updates. This makes them Android 16 at best; both the Pulse and Pulse Plus are available for purchase today from HMD's website, priced at €140/£100 for the Pulse and €160/£130 for the Pulse Plus.