It has been about a week since HMD announced their next strategy. 4 upcoming devices were teased but some were disappointed because no actual device announcement took place.
HMD is charting a new path moving forward, with the partnership with Nokia ending in 2026, to create its own branded hardware and embracing the multibrand approach.
While it is still months away for these devices to be released officially, the details of these devices have been staring at us all along.
HMD Legend
While we do not know the eventual naming scheme of the devices, HMD Legend is supposedly their next generation of easy reparability device. It seems that this would be their “flagship” offering compared to HMD Fusion. Based on the leaks that we have seen and the images shared, this device will be sporting a design that many are familiar with. While some dismiss the teased devices in the images are just for marketing and not that of actual device, it is certainly strange for them to tease the fabula design. Digging deeper we actually have seen the HMD Legend device , at least 90% of its rear looks. This device will be sporting 3 camera sensors over the back. The primary camera will be 108MP OIS camera ,flanked with an UW camera and a third sensor.
While the third sensor in the past has been either a macro or a depth sensor, I speculate it could be more than that. To understand this, we need to see how these sensors have been used in the past. The macro sensor is the least useful among this and a depth sensor is not needed anymore, similar to Nokia X30’s approach where it uses AI for depth purposes. So, could it be a telephoto sensor? Probably. All clues points to the HMD Legend being a capable imaging device. In all the teasers that we have seen, the top and bottom half are constantly hidden.
While the top houses the camera sensor and configuration, what could be hiding at the bottom half? Looking at all the images, my only speculation is the return of the dedicated camera button. AND YES. The Legend will be sporting a slimmer fabula design as seen in these images below.
HMD Fusion
This is the most interesting part of the announcement. Another shot at a modular approach with the development kit released to public to try before the devices are launched. The schematics reveals a device with rounded edges, not Fabula and will be sporting a 3.5mm headjack.
From my interview with Mr Adam he hinted that the device will be using an OS that is commonly used but HMD would not be providing dedicated technical support for the modular components. At this point of time, it is possible that HMD will be using a customized OS based on Android but perhaps there might be a dedicated third party software provider. While Jolla with Sailfish OS have tried their modular approach, it seems that we might not get to see the HMD Fusion running the Sailfish OS. Having said that, it might even be possible for users to flash the device with Sailfish OS if the bootloader is unlocked, as it should be for a device that is modular like this.
The camera arrangement shows 2 sensors, and hunting for further details reveals a 108MP primary camera lacking OIS and a UW camera.
You can catch more on this in my video here:
It is definitely interesting to have teasers that hold real clues as it gives a more realistic hope than the ones we have before. What other clues that are still hidden in these images? I would love to know your take into this as we wait for the official availability of these devices.
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