Hands On with the HMD Fusion and its Smart Outfits
Nov 14, 2024, 9:00 AM by Rich Brome @richbrome
updated Nov 14, 2024, 12:41 PM
HMD is trying to make a name for itself as a new brand on the phone scene. They are pursuing multiple specific strategies in an effort to stand out, including repairable phones, brand partnerships, and devices for kids. But the most interesting might be the HMD Fusion, a $300 phone that's designed to be augmented with "Smart Outfits" that integrate with the phone's hardware and software to add specific functionality. If you remember Moto Mods, you'll know that this basic concept has been tried before. But HMD has specific reasons they think the time is right to bring this idea back. We spent a little time with the Fusion and some Smart Outfits. Here's what the Fusion and Smart Outfits are like in person.
Article
The Fusion is an interesting device. It has an attractive "industrial" design on the back, even though the whole point of the phone is that something will cover (or mostly cover) the back. The design feels both unique and premium; it's very nice, if a bit large for me.
The Fusion has a whopping 108 megapixel camera, ensuring it can tackle any imaging-related task, at least from a technical standpoint. And yet the phone costs just $300, ensuring price isn't a barrier. HMD is trying its best to envision potential use cases for this unique device and give it what it needs to fill those roles successfully.
...while leaving out what isn't necessary to reach that price. One obvious compromise is the processor: its Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip is one of the cheapest offered by Qualcomm. HMD sees phone being used in commercial settings, where, if there's a custom app, it's likely to be a fairly simple one. And if you're using this phone for work, you probably shouldn't care too much about gaming.
The little gold "pogo" pin pads on the back are what makes this phone unique; they connect the Fusion to a Smart Outfit. Five of the six pins are simply USB 2.0. These can carry power in either direction, as well as data. This makes developing a custom Smart Outfit easier, as USB is widely supported in Arduino (and similar) microcontroller development boards that are popular for rapid prototyping and custom projects.
The sixth pin is for taking analog voltage measurements. This allows the incorporation of a simple sensor in a Smart Outfit without needing a whole bunch of extra circuitry.
Having tinkered with these kinds of electronics on a few different personal projects, I can see how HMD has made it as easy as possible for people with even the most basic electronics knowledge to make their own custom Smart Outfit.
"Flashy" is one of the first Smart Outfits to be available that actually adds functionality. What it adds is a ring light on a hinge, that can be controlled in great detail via the camera app. You can make dim or bright, or any color you like.
Although you will be able to buy Flashy, it may exist more as a demo for what's possible.
Other Smart Outfits include a gaming grip, coming probably early next year. It seemed well-designed and well-made, if quite bulky (but most gaming accessories like this are.)
HMD also made a custom Smart Outfit solely to promote the new Venom movie. There are literally only three of these in the world, and there may never be more. Those three units exist to show off at events like the movie premiere, etc. ...and to put in a press release.
The Venom case is actually quite neat. They put ferrofluid on top of a grid of small electromagnets, so the magnets can pull the black ferrofluid all over the case. In action, the effect looks creepy, and indeed a bit Symbiote-like.
(The last Outfit shown above is simply a clear case: nothing smart about it.)
HMD will make and sell two or three Smart Outfits itself, but the idea is more that other companies will develop their own Smart Outfits, either to sell to consumers, to sell to other companies, or even just for in-house use. It's that last scenario that I think has the most potential, although I'm not convinced that will sell enough Fusions for HMD to continue with this concept long-term.
Software
HMD has put an emphasis on its digital wellbeing tools recently, and adds a few features in that category to its flavor of Android this year. But the OS remains largely standard Android, with plenty of customization options.
HMD has done a decent job adding useful features to its camera app. I appreciate that you can do long exposures up to 20 seconds. There's also a "focus peaking" feature that shows you exactly which parts of the scene are in focus, which I love. Other features you'd expect are all present, like pro mode with RAW output, night mode, panorama, motion photos, slow motion and time-lapse. There's also a decent 3x zoom thanks those 108 megapixels on the main camera.
Smart Outfits aren't just about hardware. There can also be a software side, as in a custom app that communicates directly with the Smart Outfit via the USB connection, and/or the analog pin. HMD helpfully provides sample code to get developers started.
Wrap-Up
I asked HMD what makes now the right time for a phone like this, and why it won't succumb to the same fate as Moto Mods. They pointed to Arduino and 3D printing as two key technologies that make it much easier to make a custom Smart Outfit these days. There are also AI coding tools now that make it easier than ever to write a simple companion app.
That makes a certain amount of sense to me. I'm just a casual hobbyist with 3D printing and Arduino, but I can 100% see myself making my own custom Smart Outfit. HMD makes it easy to get started with downloadable 3D models for the phone and a simple case, so you don't have to design a whole case (that fits) from scratch.
As pointless as it may seem, I actually like the Venom case, mostly because it demonstrates the possibilities of Smart Outfits perhaps even better than Flashy. If an organization wants to make something extremely custom and extremely niche like this, it's entirely possible. Want to make a one-off Smart Outfit for a movie prop? Why not?
There is already a company in Europe that will make its own Smart Outfit, just for its own use, to scan tickets at events. I can see some kind of market for companies — of all sizes — to make their own Smart Outfits to address niche needs. Is this market big enough to make the Smart Outfit concept viable long-term? Only time will tell. But I love that HMD is taking a big swing with the Fusion and Smart Outfits.
About the author, Rich Brome:Editor in Chief Rich became fascinated with cell phones in 1999, creating mobile web sites for phones with tiny black-and-white displays and obsessing over new phone models. Realizing a need for better info about phones, he started Phone Scoop in 2001, and has been helming the site ever since. Rich has spent two decades researching and covering every detail of the phone industry, traveling the world to tour factories, interview CEOs, and get every last spec and photo Phone Scoop readers have come to expect. As an industry veteran, Rich is a respected voice on phone technology of the past, present, and future.
Samsung Refreshes Galaxy S Series with S Pen, New Cameras
iPhone 14 Plus Offers a Big Screen For Less
Hands On with Xplora Kids Smartwatches
Samsung S24 Series Adds More AI, Updates the Hardware
Apple Watch Goes Ultra
HMD Fusion
Comments
No messages yet
