Human innovation and a lot more at MWC 2024 in Barcelona
Here we are in Barcelona for Mobile World Congress 2024. MWC has a bit of a special place in our hearts – our journey began seven years ago with the launch of the Nokia 3310. This year is a big one for us too, as it’s the first one for our fresh new HMD look and feel.
And so, finally, we get to share more about what we’ve got cooking over here at Human Mobile Devices.
#1: Our new partnership with…
It takes two to tango. And who doesn’t love a good tango? You will get to see unique HMD originals this year, Nokia phones, and some super exciting partnerships we are about to reveal! In fact, this summer, you will see the return of an iconic Nokia device.
We’re not stopping there. We have a stellar line of brands collaborations coming to you in 2024, most notably with…
Say hi to Barbie.
Big news: Barbie! Now you can unplug and play with this summer's hottest accessory...The Barbie Flip Phone. We’ve teamed up with Mattel, a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world.
Say bye to endless screen time and hello to retro chic with this super stylish device for real-world adventures.
If you’re like us and can’t wait to get your hands on one, sign up for email updates from HMD and we’ll let you know more as soon as we can!
#2: Next-level repairable phones
One of today’s biggest challenges we face in the tech industry e-waste. Got a drawer of old, unused phones somewhere? You’re not the only one. We think that what can be good for the planet can be good for mobile phone users too – it doesn’t have to be one or the other.
Our goal is to craft beautiful phones that don’t just turn heads, but are also kind to the Earth. One important way we’re doing this is to make phones that you can fix rather than throw away. Last year at MWC, we introduced our first repairable device. The response was overwhelming. In fact, repairable devices made up 1:4 of our Europe sales in 2023. This year we expect that to grow to 3:4 devices and we expect half of the devices we sell globally to be repairable.
The No 1 out-of-warranty issue most people are faced with is screen breakage. This summer, HMD repairability will go to the next level. We’re making it even easier to replace a screen. It’s cheaper to repair a device than replace it – and it costs the Earth less, too.
#3: Human innovation and HMD Fusion
And here’s another big one for the road. We’ve announced HMD Fusion which is design to become a physical embodiment of what ‘human innovation’ means to us. Our vision is for HMD Fusion to become a platform for innovation, where businesses, communities, and people around the world can create new applications for smartphone technology. And we want it to be as accessible as possible—a device that has the affordability and flexibility for everyone to make it what they want it to be.
At its heart, HMD Fusion is a slimline computing core that can be fitted with different exteriors, or, what we call, ‘smart outfits’. This is for all the innovators, trendsetters, and tech enthusiasts out there, these outfits extend HMD Fusion’s functionality by adding unique capabilities to the phone. Plus, other devices can jump on the bandwagon and use the new HMD Fusion features too.
It could be as simple as swapping in a case to add extra battery juice or an intelligent cover that removes the constant interruption of digital notifications, maybe you need a bespoke retail payment terminal to scan barcodes and accept payments. Let your imagination run wild and tailor the device to any specific task you have in mind.
Today, ahead of the HMD Fusion summer launch, we’re releasing the first version of the development toolkit. It provides design dimensions and details of the hardware and software interface for the smart outfits.
Anyone can now start scoping out exciting ideas for a phone and outfit combo that’s centered around their needs. With more updates to the development toolkit to come later, this gives you a taste of what you can achieve.
We’re opening the floodgates to your genius, so if you’re interested in HMD Fusion and what you can create with it, check out the development toolkit here.
Only February? This is just the start for 2024
Whew. If feels good to get all of that out. But there will be plenty more to reveal on each of these – and if you want to get that news first, sign up for our newsletter and hand tight. In the meantime, follow our social channels or sign up here for email updates for more exciting HMD news!