HMD Fusion
Though its screen is far from great, being able to replace it (or a busted battery) makes the HMD Fusion an easy recommendation for families, accident-prone people, budget seekers and eco-warriors alike.
Pros
- Wonderful repairability and customizability
- Eye-catching design
- Generally fine performance
Cons
- Below-average display
- No wide-angle rear camera
Key Features
- Customisable featuresMetal contacts on its back allow for direct connections to peripherals like a ring light case and a game controller without using the USB-C port, with particularly crafty folk encouraged to make their own accessories.
- 50MP selfie cameraOn top of a 108MP rear sensor, a 50MP selfie camera ensures the HMD Fusion is up to the task of self portraits, video calls, and content creation.
- User repairableThanks to a partnership with iFixit, the battery, screen, and USB port on the HMD Fusion is easily replaced and repaired at home.
Introduction
While HMD might be the new kid on the block, its creators are well-versed. The Swedish group in charge of their production has been making repairable Nokia handsets for years.
Now taking a crack at building its own brand through easily serviced and sustainable handsets, HMD is already making a new name for itself.
In tandem with iFixit, the HMD Fusion is a looker. And while it’s not quite running on the lofty upgrade dreams of something like the Framework laptop, it’s a wonderful step in the right direction for the right person.
Design
- Sleek, industrial look for repairability
- Rear pins allow for direct connection to fun peripherals
- Decent heft and sturdy feel
The HMD Fusion is a >£200 handset that, by virtue of its unique engineering, looks anything but. Visible screws signal its Lego-like approach to life. It looks like it’s missing a rear case. There’s a reason for that.
The rear chassis brings attention to its battery, with recessed gold contacts showcasing its interesting approach to accessories and add-ons. Further up, its raised camera array more closely matches other handsets of the time.
Its logo is small and centered, with its full name on the lower third in a clean and sharp font.
Where it hardly shakes things up is around the outer edges. The left side is left bare, with the bottom housing a two-piece speaker grill, a centered USB-C port, a microphone, and a welcome 3.5mm headphone jack.
The right side keeps a volume rocker, dual fingerprint/power button, and little else. That leaves the top offering just another microphone for good measure, and the left side housing the SIM/MicroSD card slot.
It’s a relatively tall device with just enough thickness to sit well in your hand. And at around 200 grams, there’s a degree of heft that speaks quality and worth.
All of this comes in a rather basic cardboard package. There’s a simple rubber case included that’s more rigid than what other bargain handsets typically offer. But like them, there’s no charger included.
Screen
- 90Hz 720p IPS LCD panel
- 83.4% screen-to-body ratio
- User-replaceable
The 20:9, 6.56-inch screen leaves quite a lot to be desired. With ultra-bargain handsets like the Moto G35 5G offering sharp and smooth Full HD displays at a reduced cost, the HMD Fusion’s 720p panel is disappointing.
There’s also a bit of chin, and the touch responsiveness feels lacking. It doesn’t bother me, but it speaks to its supposed value proposition next to today’s alternatives.
90Hz is a slight saving grace for smooth scrolling, but its middling brightness at around 500 nits means it’s far from the best for cramming the last episode of a new streaming show on your break or at the park.
Even being IPS, viewing angles aren’t great, with brightness taking a rapid nosedive when not viewed straight on.
In everyday indoor conditions, it’s largely accurate and lifelike. It’s just a little boring compared to the smoother, sharper, brighter, and more colourful displays on cheaper handsets.
Similarly, the small speakers of the HMD Fusion leave much to the imagination. This is hardly a startling revolution in the budget handset space, but one always worth considering.
Its bottom-firing speakers can get decently loud, as most tend to, but at even lower volumes great for personal listening in an indoor setting, there’s an evidenced lack of warmth in shows, missing bass in music, and an overall diminished character in atmospheric audio.
At the end of the day, this is a budget device with repairability at its heart. If you manage to smash it, the cost of a replacement panel shouldn’t have you jumping to replace the whole thing.
Camera
- 108MP main shooter
- 50MP selfie camera
- 2MP depth sensor
An interesting mix of camera tech is the HMD Fusions crux and crutch. The rear 108MP rear shooter can take a whopping 70Mb shot of a couch if you want it to. It still struggles to capture the details at a decent range, however, and punching in proves that quickly.
But when you’re just snapping everyday photos, it does an admiral job of showing what matters in the moment.
Looking back at photos taken around Manchester, England, its myriad graffiti, wall art, and unique blend of new and old architecture came out just as I remember it on the day.
There’s a disappointing lack of an ultrawide-angle lens, which made getting more of said artwork in the shot from up close or even across the street.
I can’t remember the last time I went out without a 0.5x option, and I was shocked and confused when I couldn’t see it on the viewfinder.
So what’s the second lens for, you ask? It’s a 2MP depth sensor to aid in sorting portrait shots and close-ups. Paired with the auto-focus, it still struggled to capture a decent shot of an Autumn bloom blowing in the wind, but its portrait performance is strong.
But the front camera is where things stand out. A highlight of the phone, especially when paired with the flip-out ring light of the “Flashy Outfit” case, is the 50MP selfie snapper.
If you’re into video calls, TikTok recording, or seeing yourself in the best light, it’s a strong performer. And there are plenty of touch-up features if the realistic look isn’t what you want to put out there.
You can even trigger shots with a selection of popular gestures. That’s better than relying on a big smile or screaming about dairy products.
Performance
- Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 processor
- 6–8GB of memory with virtual expansion support
- Adreno 613 GPU
Though packing sufficient memory for most, the HMD Fusion can only do so much with storage that’s rarely up for the task.
It’s backed up by the fairly competent (but still budget) Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 processor with an Adreno 613 GPU. RAM differs depending on your storage option, with our 128GB model having 6GB to work with.
This all leads to a Geekbench multicore score of 2238, which goes toe-to-toe with the similarly priced Motorola Moto G55. Loading times across apps, start-up, and games, however, suggest slower storage under the hood holding things back.
It’s largely fine, but when games like Dead Cells take longer to load in a stage than it does to complete, it can be disheartening. In team-based multiplayer games, you’ll only slow down the start of a match. Once you’re in, you’re in.
A similar choppiness can be experienced when switching between apps, too.
Things do eventually settle in for a time, with general performance across the web ultimately smooth and pleasant, but those little hitches when switching or finding apps do feel harder to justify in the face of smoother, cheaper handsets.
While general performance is hardly perfect, the HMD Fusion is still a capable gamer. Its low-resolution screen (by today’s standards) means it has the resources to maintain 90fps when allowed, making great use of its otherwise tame display.
Games like Wild Rift were rock-solid at 90fps, keeping competition fierce. Online adventures like Diablo Immortal, while prone to pop-in for a while, still ran well enough.
They won’t look phenomenal, and you might struggle when gaming in bright sunlight, but the internals are worthwhile.
Today’s open-world jaunts like Genshin Impact and Wuthering Waves aren’t going to do well. They’re meant for more modern chips. But through its repairability philosophy, it’s a good grab for the competitive gamer on a budget.
Software
- Android 14
- Two major Android updates
- Select bloatware
The HMD Fusion comes with Android 14 outfitted with a darkened user interface to suit its moody looks (and potentially hide the colour woes of its relatively dull IPS LCD display).
Most of the expected Google apps feature in folders at the bottom of the main home screen. Tap into the Apps folder, though, and you’ll find a few you might not have asked for.
Social media like Facebook and LinkedIn are there, as well as a travel app, VPN provider, and some green-focused retail deals apps, too.
HMD even includes a My Device app that acts as a hub for device clean-up, app suggestions, and company news, as well as a shortcut to optional extras like spare parts and accessories.
It’s largely fine. There’s nothing there that can’t be removed, and you won’t find any of the dubious games found on some other budget handsets.
But hey, it’s guaranteed to climb to Android 16 in time. Paired with the user-repairability aspects, you can theoretically keep this out of the landfill for a good long while. And that’s the point.
Battery
- 5,000mAh battery
- 33w wired charging
- User-replaceable
The beating heart of the HMD Fusion is a 5000mAh battery that’s quite common in phones across all prices these days. Though it’s technically user-replaceable, this still requires a screwdriver, adhesive, and more. It’s not a hot-swappable cell you can keep around like a car tyre.
But you shouldn’t need to, either. Light gaming only drains around 4% in half an hour. Crank that up to something more modern and it’ll sip around 8% in the same timeframe, which is in line with most devices.
At a comfortable indoor brightness, Netflix guzzles up 10%: again, in line with the best of them at the price point.
And while that might still sound like cause for concern, everyday use doesn’t tax the device much at all. Likely down to that 720p display and an energy-efficient chipset, the HMD Fusion has no problem going all day.
So long as you haven’t hammered it with games and movies, a second day is easily possible with some energy-conscious usage.
The saving grace is 33w fast charging support. A compatible plug will set you back another £20 or so, but if you have one already, you can get a great 32% recharge while you shower. Got a half hour to set it down? You can juice it back up by 59%.
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Should you buy it?
You want a phone that could last a lifetime
Most of the breakable parts of the HMD Fusion can be replaced at home for less than the cost of a flagship phone’s monthly contract charge.
You’re a content consumption fiend
A sub-par display and a low-end processor means Netflix and YouTube won’t look their best. Big 3D games are out of the question, too, but older or casual adventures are fair game.
Final Thoughts
On paper, the HMD Fusion is a tough sell. Which says a lot about today’s budget phone space. You can get devices with massively improved screens for less money. But in terms of longevity, HMD is on the right track.
The major components of the HMD Fusion can be replaced on a shoestring budget. Whether you’re the clumsy type, have young, careless, and energetic kids, or tend to hold onto your headset until the battery can’t support your lifestyle, potential problems are a bargain fix. A slight discount covers the cost of the screen.
But if you’re certain you need a screen with gorgeous colours and bright highlights, this isn’t the one for you. Try for a discounted Samsung Galaxy A35 or the Motorola Moto G55. And if you love a good book, the TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5G is sublime.
How we test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as a main phone for over a week
Thorough camera testing in a variety of conditions
Tested and benchmarked using respected industry tests and real-world data
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FAQs
Not out of the box, but it’s possible for an optional extra to utilize the rear pins for this purpose.
No, this isn’t a modular device that can be upgraded on a whim. It’s just easier to replace designated parts it shipped with.
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