Luke Staunton provided a hands-on review of the recently announced HMD Fusion. He did an extraordinary job of showing the pros and cons of the phone to potential buyers (since the device is already available in some markets) and also showcased some of the camera work. Thanks again, Luke, for the effort you put into this hands-on review. We really appreciate it.
Introduction
The HMD Fusion project was first announced at MWC 2024 as a development tool for the smartphone platform, which includes pogo pin devices for cases and attachments called ‘Products’, and access to CAD files and API access to allowing individuals and businesses to develop their own Apparel.
Almost 6 months after IFA 2024, HMD unveiled the Fusion smartphone along with V2.0 of its dev toolkit. HMD also dropped a series of wearables such as Casual Wear (TPU case), Flash Wear with integrated LED ring light, Rugged Wear to provide IP68 protection, Magnetic wireless charging wear, and Wearable game controller.
A French company named Copernicus It also developed barcode scanners for commercial use, with access control uniforms due by the end of 2024.
After launch, the HMD Fusion will be available for purchase in many markets, so I grabbed the 8/256 GB variant here in the UK for £249.99.
HMD Fusion design, features and performance
The HMD Fusion follows the same design as HMD’s flagship phones like the Pulse and Skyline, with a device icon along with silver text. The box includes the usual instructions, SIM tray pin, USB-C to C cable and a quick guide, but the Fusion also comes with a pre-installed white/casual outfit case (another color retails for £ 24.99 here in the UK).
The device itself is primarily plastic and comes in one color: Black. The design exudes its laid-back industrial aesthetic with exposed screws, pogo pins and signs of the manufacturing and milling process left on display. There’s also a plate integrated into the back that looks like a battery (it’s not), but appears to be made of metal – the HMD inside. Fusion press release refer to ‘reinforced metal plastic casing’.
Although the phone can be used without a case, the improvement means the IP54 rating for water and dust, it is clear that the Fusion is designed to be used with clothes most of the time.
The design will immediately compare to both the CMF Phone 1 and the Fairphone range. Fusion sits among them at a lower price, with greater customization capabilities than CMF and maintenance through a in partnership with iFixit That doesn’t match the ease and simplicity of the Fairphone.
The Fusion also sits in the middle of HMD’s current smartphone line, taking sides from the low-end Pulse series (HD+ LCD screen) and the high-end Skyline (108MP camera sensor).
Chipset
The choice of a low-end 5G chipset in the form of the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 has also raised some concerns, in a practical sense it is absolutely perfect for daily use and is on par with the likes of the Snapdragon 695 in terms of computing speed. A major drawback is the weak graphics performance of the Adreno 613 GPU, which is at least reduced on the 720p screen – I tested it with a long session of Call of Duty Mobile on medium graphics and FPS settings and the game was smooth.
Battery
I haven’t done any testing with the battery performance, but needless to say the advertised up-to-65 hours is likely to be possible for many of the target audience (I didn’t drop below 50% in a day to now). The combination of a low resolution display and an efficient 4nm chipset paired with a 5000mAh battery promises a long life, perhaps a deliberate choice as the phone is capable of smart dressing up to 5V (and dressing as the battery pack does). can return it).
Charging is up to 33W wireless, with the option to limit the charge to 80% battery capacity or enable ‘Battery Protection’ to reduce the charging speed after 80%.
Display & Sound
Another weak point of the Fusion spec sheet is the 6.56 inch HD + LCD screen that seems to be borrowed from the Pulse series. Apart from targeting the Fusion for business use and aiming for the longest possible battery life, it would really benefit from a full HD display, even with the rest of the LCD.
The low resolution can often be felt at close range, or when using the camera app, keeping the phone at a normal operating distance, it is not possible to detect individual pixels. However, the colors are muted, and in direct sunlight the screen can be difficult to see. It also doesn’t mention the protection level of the display, so thankfully the display can be changed in the event of a break…
The refresh rate is set to 60hz by default, so it is recommended to change this to 90hz for adaptive display settings. There’s a basic White Balance slider, double tap to adjust, and an Always On Display option even though it’s not an OLED panel.
The sound comes from a single speaker, with support for OZO playback with dynamic, music, games and cinema previews, plus Audio Enhancement for high volume or outdoor environments. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack, the dev options show a variety of Bluetooth (5.1) audio codecs but I am not able to test them at this time. One issue I have encountered is a knocking or noise that seems to come from the speaker when scrolling through old media.
cameras
While the Fusion borrows parts from the lower-end Pulse series, the main camera borrows from its bigger sibling the HMD Skyline. The Fusion shares the same 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM6 sensor, although here it lacks OIS and is flanked by a 2MP depth sensor. The equivalent aperture is f/1.8 vs f/1.7 on the Skyline.
The camera app is also similar to the one featured on the Skyline, and shares features such as focus enhancement, 108MP capture, Flash Shot and Pro Mode with RAW capture. However the Fusion doesn’t come with Speedwarp, Ultra-Steady video or handheld Astrophotography, probably because it lacks ultrawide or OIS. While the Skyline has toggles for 0.5 – 4x zoom, the Fusion only has a quick toggle for 3x zoom.
Check out the photos taken by HMD Fusion. Marin has reduced the resolution to save server space, but you can check the original Nokiamob’s Flickr account.
Image quality is strong for the price and is very similar to the Skyline, with images that may be a little cooler or darker magenta. Images zoomed up to 3x are very usable in good light, although some noise and loss of detail creeps in in low light. Without a dedicated telephoto lens or OIS, the autofocus zoom can be difficult at times and there is less detail than the 2x compared to the Skyline.
The Fusion also shares a 50MP front-facing camera with autofocus support, full aperture and high focus. There are no observations here, the selfie camera is equivalent to 1.2x as Skyline and the options for natural or bright skin color and changing the color temperature when using the screen (or Flashy Outfit) as the light is there.
Finally, the Fusion video is covered in 1080p 30 or 60 fps for both the rear and front cameras. In my brief tests, video from the rear camera is surprisingly good quality at 1080p and EIS is effective, with minimal lens shake. More testing is needed but the Fusion seems to be above average in the price range, the OZO recording also comes with 2 mics.
Various
Rounding up the features, the Fusion supports MicroSD cards up to 1TB with a dual SIM slot, eSIM is also supported. The fingerprint reader is attached to the side and integrated into the power button, this is more sensitive than the previous HMD models and benefits from the option to be activated only if the power button is pressed.
The final note is on haptics, HMD has once again chosen a low-quality motor that in my opinion is a missed opportunity that would really rely on industrial aesthetics and the possibility that smart wear can benefit from feedback. haptic. Skyline has a similarly poor haptic engine that has the effect of undermining the high-quality design.
Conclusion
HMD Fusion is an interesting device with a reduced design and a preview of the possibility of customization and optimization. Targeting the device in the lower middle segment makes it widely available, but if there is enough success to prove – the concept then a replacement that improves the display, chipset and software support (Business Edition has 5 years of security ah.upgrade) makes more sense for longevity and sustainability purposes.
Now, we are waiting for the release of the opening dress, and the possibility of others to improve the functions such as the camera, the expansion of the battery or even a second display? The question also remains whether HMD will stick to the same dimensions to ensure future compatibility with the Fusion wearable.
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