Best of IFA 2024: HMD Fusion

This phone is not only easily repairable but easily customizable too.

HMD Global was a company behind ‘Nokia’ smartphones for years. Not so long ago, HMD decided to start releasing devices under its own brand, HMD: The HMD Fusion is arguably the most interesting phone to date. This handset was presented at IFA 2024, and it received one of our ‘Best of IFA 2024’ awards. If you’re looking for a phone that can essentially change its outfits without a problem, this is the device for you.

The HMD Fusion is easily customizable thanks to Fusion Outfits / Smart Outfits

With HMD Fusion, the company wanted to offer something different. What does that mean, exactly? Well, the HMD Fusion is a shell smartphone without a back cover, basically. You can simply pop on a back cover, though, and get the phone both the look and functionality you want. It has pogo pins on the back, so it can easily recognize what has been attached. This way you can change its outfits as you please, and you also do get access to its battery.

Thanks to how the phone is built, you can also easily repair it. There is no need to use a heat gun to remove a back cover or anything like that. These back covers are called ‘Fusion Outfits’, and HMD showed off several examples. One Fusion Outfit adds wireless charging support, another can add a ring light for your pictures, or rugged protection. There is also a Fusion Outfit that is basically a gamepad.

A toolkit for making Smart Outfits is open-source

HMD also emphasized that the toolkit for making Smart Outfits / Fusion Outfits is open-source. So people can let their imagination go wild, and create all sorts of different products for you to use. So, the HMD Fusion is both easily repairable, and easily customizable as well. This phone is not exactly a high-end device, but it has all the basics that users may need.

The HMD Fusion is fueled by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip, and it comes with 6GB/8GB of RAM. A 6.56-inch LCD display is also on offer here, and that panel has a 90Hz refresh rate. There is a 5,000mAh battery included inside the device, while 33W wired charging is supported. In regards to repairs, iFixit is set to provide parts for the device for the next 7 years.