Modular: After claiming the Nokia telephone enterprise from Microsoft in 2016, HMD World relaunched the enduring European model with a give attention to reasonably priced and sturdy smartphones. The corporate is now increasing its choices by introducing gadgets underneath its personal model alongside Nokia telephones, promising to deliver new customization choices to the market.
Human Cellular Gadgets started promoting new smartphone fashions underneath the HMD model earlier this 12 months, specializing in repairability and the usage of environmentally pleasant supplies. The Finnish firm is now introducing the HMD Fusion, a smartphone that may change its {hardware} and software program capabilities by merely including new equipment often known as “outfits.”
Modular telephones aren’t a brand new idea. Motorola tried one thing comparable with the Moto Z line years in the past, as have others. Nonetheless, HMD Fusion is taking this concept additional with important customization choices. The bottom telephone includes a slim plastic casing strengthened with stainless-steel, whereas completely different outfits will be hooked up through six specialised, easy-to-remove pins.
HMD World guarantees to launch new outfits all through 2024. For now, the corporate has revealed just a few upcoming customization choices, such because the Flashy Outfit, which features a built-in ring mild for each entrance and rear cameras, and a Rugged Outfit that provides IP68 safety towards mud and water.
The Wi-fi Outfit provides help for wi-fi charging, a characteristic usually reserved for higher-priced telephones. Moreover, the Gaming Outfit offers additional management choices for cellular players, together with bodily buttons and pads. The primary “sensible” outfits can be obtainable later this 12 months, and extra customization choices are anticipated sooner or later.
The bottom HMD Fusion smartphone, powered by Android 14, will quickly be obtainable for “simply” £199/€249, although no particular particulars have been supplied concerning a doable US launch. Customization is clearly a significant focus for this new telephone, as HMD can be providing an open-source developer equipment to encourage the creation of further {hardware} equipment.
Interchangeable outfits apart, the HMD Fusion telephone is an reasonably priced gadget with modest specs. The base {hardware}, which is able to probably stay the identical even with custom-made outfits hooked up, features a Qualcomm SM4450 SoC (Snapdragon 4 Gen 2), 6GB of RAM, 128GB of inner storage, and a “digital RAM” choice starting from 4GB to 12GB.
Connectivity options embody 5G NR, Bluetooth 5.1, USB-C, Wi-Fi, and NFC, amongst others. A 5000mAh battery is anticipated to offer as much as 65 hours of steady use underneath “regular gadget settings,” whereas the 6.56-inch display affords a modest HD+ decision (720 x 1,612) with a 90Hz refresh charge. In an effort to scale back e-waste, HMD World has determined to not embody a wall charger, as a substitute providing it as a paid accent.