HMD takes up what Motorola gave up on years back: a modular phone

HMD Global has announced that it is getting into a new project called HMD Fusion as part of its strategy to revamp the brand. This essentially is HMD’s take on modular phones. If you think you have heard that before, think of Motorola or maybe Fairphone. The first modular phone dates back to 2013 when Fairphone introduced a new kind of phone that users could customise. Later in 2016, Motorola took up the idea and made it more mainstream with the Moto Z lineup. These phones had good days until they did not and people moved on from the idea of customisation in phones. HMD thinks it can rekindle that idea with HMD Fusion.

“HMD will feature next-generation design innovation including built-in hardware connectors that enable endless new applications to extend the functionality of HMD Fusion with what we are calling “smart outfits,” said HMD in a press release.

Smart outfits are HMD’s version of Moto Mods, which can be slapped onto the back of a phone using pogo pins. Possibilities are endless here because these outfits could have multiple features. We have seen the functionality before, so we have a good idea about what to expect from HMD Fusion. The outfit could include a highly advanced camera that could possibly not have been a part of the phone’s camera system. It could pack an external battery so that the phone does not die on you on a long journey with no way to charge it. And with generative AI being all the rage, smart outfits are what could give HMD a unique way to add AI capabilities to its phone without cramming everything into the phone’s main body.

Some of many Moto Mods, including a camera module using Hasselblad’s technology.

Besides what a modular design on a phone can offer to customers, it also gives the brand a new business strategy and a way to make more out of a phone. Motorola gathered rave reviews and positive responses from customers for its modular phones. Its modules, called Moto Mods, included some interesting options. There was a Mod with a Hasselblad camera, one with a small speaker fitted to it, and another with a huge battery pack inside it. You could allow your Moto Z series phone to do a lot more with Mods, and it was exciting to be able to customise what the phone looked like. There were several mods with different designs so the phone never looked boring.

Especially after Google’s highly ambitious Project Ara failed, Motorola gained confidence in showcasing to the world that phones did not need to be what they were supposed to be. But the company eventually gave up on them to be able to catch up with the trends. Modular phones were too young to die. So, in a way, HMD resurrecting them is a good thing but whether customers are ready to embrace modular phones again is only time will tell.

HMD said HMD Fusion will be a part of at least one of its upcoming phones. The company did not say much about how the functionality would work on its phone, but it has released an online kit for anyone to start designing smart outfits.