HMD, which stands for Human Mobile Devices, came into the spotlight when they bought a suffering Nokia and saved the iconic mobile company from a terrible fate. They started off leveraging the recognition of the Nokia brand name, but these days, they simply release phones under the HMD badge.
I personally didn’t have very high hopes for the company, but I can now say that I’m impressed with what they’re doing. At IFA 2024 in Berlin, the company has just unveiled the HMD Fusion, and for its price, I have to say that I am extremely impressed with what it brings to the table.
First, Let’s Talk About The Specifications Of The HMD Fusion
HMD released the HMD Skyline about a month ago, marking the very first Android phone to come toting Qi2 magnetic wireless charging. The device was also extremely easy for users to repair on their own. That was when I first started to see the vision that HMD has for itself. Now, it has come out with the HMD Fusion, which isn’t only affordable but comes with a pretty unique twist — more on that later. First, the specs.
Let me make it clear from the start that this is a $299 smartphone, so keep your expectations in line with that. You get a 6.56-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 600-nit peak brightness. Not the best screen ever, but it works. It comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot.
Inside, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 powers it, alongside 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You get a 108MP primary camera paired with a 2MP depth sensor. On the front is a 50MP fixed-focus lens. The battery is a 5,000 mAh unit with 33W fast charging via a USB-C port. With 5G and dual-SIM support, you really can’t hate what it brings for its price (that’s not to say there aren’t devices that offer more value than this does).
The Elephant In The Room: The HMD Fusion Is Impressively Customizable
If you’re buying the HMD Fusion, you’re likely not fixated on the spec sheet. You know it’s not a high-end phone and you’re fine with that. What you’re really there for is its entire selling point — customization. The HMD Fusion comes with what the company calls “Smart Outfits”. Think of these like outfits that your phone can wear that unlock additional functionality.
It’s like what the CMF Phone 1 offers, but these accessories actually have a power connection so they can do more. For instance, you can get a Smart Outfit to equip your phone with a built-in ring light (the Flashy Outfit), one to make this IP54-rated device more IP68-grade rugged (the Rugged Outfit), and out of the box, you get the basic transparent Casual Outfit.
There’s even a video game controller outfit! Honestly, the idea is exciting, but it’s not the first time modularity has been attempted before. However, the tool for making Smart Outfits is open-source, which should allow for a lot of healthy third-party adoption and that might actually make things work this time. Time will tell. The device will be available in the US at some point in Q4 this year.
