HMD Fusion Review: A Cheap Modular Android Phone
I’ve probablytested close to 100 low-cost phones in the past 9 years. I have never had to worry about having a backup phone just in case something goes wrong. Budget phones can be slow but they work. The HMD Fusion was a great phone, but I regretted not having a backup smartphone with me when I went on a quick trip to another state. It would then boot up to the home screen, but my passcode didn’t work. This further fueled my panic. The message “Passcode incorrect” appeared. A forced restart brought it back to life. The Fusion kept restarting itself throughout the entire weekend of a friend’s Kentucky wedding. The Fusion also refused to launch Slack, which was a blessing in disguise as I had no idea what work was. The phone has been working perfectly. This $300 phone is decent, even though it’s difficult to switch gears after getting frustrated with the black monolith. The Modular Phone is Back
HMD may not be a company you are familiar with. It’s a Finnish firm that licenses the Nokia brand and produces Nokia Android smartphones as well as feature phones. The company began this practice in 2017 but announced earlier this year that it will continue to make Nokia phones while also creating phones under the Human Mobile Devices name. It continues to make feature phones, including bigger collaborations such as The Boring Phone or the Barbie Phone. The company has put a lot of emphasis on the repairability of this device. You can easily replace parts like the battery and screen by removing a few screws. This is necessary to comply with upcoming EU laws. The pogo pins are what really make it stand out. The whole back of this phone appears incomplete. HMD refers to them as “Outfits.” The modular components are available in different colors and can be used to change the look of your phone. These Outfits are not magnetic like iPhones or MagSafe. Instead, these Outfits are like cases, and the pogo pins don’t just transfer power but data as well.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
