Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Human Mobile Devices (HMD) unveiled its latest smartphone called the HMD Fuse. Its key feature is HarmBlock+, which aims to protect children using AI. The feature was designed in partnership with SafeToNet, an award-winning British cybersecurity company that uses AI to analyze threats to children like cyberbullying, extortion, and abuse. This system stops real-time viewing, recording, or saving of nude content on the device.
Protection from the start
The concept of the HMD Fuse is that it starts as a blank slate — no pre-installed or default apps. This gives parents or guardians the power from the get-go to approve or block apps using robust parental controls. They can set usage limits and schedule screen-free times, like when studying or during bedtime. Real-time location tracking and history will also help parents keep track of their children. Parents can also enable trusted contacts to limit calls and messages to trusted people.
HarmBlock+ is integrated into HMD Fuse to protect children as apps are enabled with web access and messaging. As the child gets access to more features and apps, the trained HarmBlock AI scans on-screen activity and automatically blocks out images with nudity from any app. System-level integration makes it impossible to take or even see a nude photo during a livestream or with any apps that use the camera.
One of the highlights of the phone is that everything is blocked until enabled, not the other way around. The HMD Fuse restricts app access by default, and HarmBlock AI emphasizes privacy by doing everything locally on the device. User data on the device is not collected or shared for analysis. Guardians can even remotely use the privacy controls from their device with the HarmBlock+ app.
A new philosophy
HMD Global, founded in 2016 by former Nokia executives, acquired the Nokia brand from Microsoft. In 2024, HMD Global began producing smartphones under its own brand, reserving the Nokia name exclusively for feature phones. While the name still bears a heavy legacy for HMD as the former king of the mobile phones market, rebranding and taking a share in today’s market is anything but easy.
The HMD Fuse stems from the company’s Better Phone Project, aiming to produce devices that cater to better mental health. They tackle the impact of smartphone use in connection with social media and the overuse of technology. With this new philosophy, they plan to make an impact with unique offerings that enable technology while ensuring safety. Currently, HMD is working with different companies, experts, and parents to make more solutions similar to the HMD Fuse.
Carving a new path
While the HMD Fuse has a unique approach, the company has yet to prove its brand. Looking at the spec sheet, the HMD Fuse looks just like any low to mid-tier smartphone with uninspiring specs such as a 720p 90Hz display and a lower-end Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 CPU. While the specs are not the focus of such a device, HMD is clearly trying to carve more of a niche in the space than taking on current leaders such as Samsung.
In my opinion, HMD is trying to tackle where the others are not looking, and it could be a very shrewd move. By branding themselves as making technology that cares, HMD could create its own path in education or as a child’s first smartphone. It will take a while to shed the Nokia branding from their own-branded products, as it is a legacy too big to take away. The use of AI beyond generating images, doing research, or chatbots is also a very novel application of it, and one that could use more attention from the industry. Currently, the HMD Fuse is only available in the UK via Vodafone and only via a phone plan. It will roll out to other countries in the future, starting with Australia.
YouTube: Introducing the HMD Fuse, the phone that grows with your child.
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Photo credit: The images used are owned by HMD and have been made available for press usage.
