Finnish smartphone brand HMD has launched a new budget phone in India, and it looks quite familiar. The phone is called the HMD Vibe 2 5G, and its back panel appears to take more than just inspiration from the iPhone 17 Pro. It has a wide camera bar stretching across much of the upper rear panel, just like Apple’s latest Pro iPhone, but with only two cameras instead of three.
A very familiar kind of futuristic
What makes the design choice more amusing is HMD’s own marketing. In its promotional images, the company describes the phone as having a “futuristic design,” even though the rear panel looks strongly influenced by Apple’s recent Pro iPhones. The large camera island and two-tone rear finish make the comparison difficult to avoid.
HMD could have done something more original here. Instead, the Vibe 2 5G looks like a budget version of the iPhone 17 Pro with one camera missing. For a brand still associated with Nokia, that is not a great look.
The basics are still solid
To be fair, the HMD Vibe 2 5G is not trying to compete with an iPhone. It is a budget 5G phone, with a starting price of Rs. 10,999 (about $114) in India. For that price, buyers get a large 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, Android 16 out of the box, and a 6,000mAh battery, which should be the more practical selling point for most users.
The phone also has a 50MP rear camera, an 8MP selfie camera, 18W charging, IP64 dust and splash resistance, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. It will be sold on Flipkart in Cosmic Lavender, Nordic Blue, and Peach Pink.
As a budget phone, the Vibe 2 5G checks the expected boxes. The Indian budget 5G market is crowded, so HMD clearly needed something to make this phone stand out. It seems to have chosen the easiest route by making it look like an iPhone.