The concept of modular smartphones isn’t new. It is a pretty good idea, at least conceptually. A phone whose parts you can swap in and out as needed based on your usage habits. If you recall, HMD tried its hand at it with its Fusion Project a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, it looks like HMD has canceled its modular phone plans.
HMD modular phone has been canceled
According to a post on X by tipster @smashx_60, HMD has reportedly canceled its next modular smartphone project, the HMD Fusion 2. The post claims that due to manufacturing costs and profitability issues, the company has decided to cancel it. However, the tipster notes that existing users are safe. The company is expected to honor its promise of 3 years of updates for consumers and 5 years for the Business Edition.
For those unfamiliar, the HMD Fusion Project was launched back in 2024. The concept was similar to other modular phones we’ve seen in the past. Users could attach and detach accessories to the phone. Unfortunately, in terms of performance, the HMD Fusion wasn’t exactly powerful.Â
It came with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 chip and 6/8GB of RAM, putting it square in the low-end to mid-range smartphone segment. But presumably the goal was to allow users to customize their experience, rather than focus on pure performance. HMD hasn’t officially said anything yet, so until they do, take it with a grain of salt.
Modular phones throughout the ages
Like we said, HMD wasn’t the first to launch a modular phone. Back in the day, Motorola attempted its own modular phone with Project Ara. Even LG tried to launch its own take with the LG G5. Unfortunately, neither of these devices was particularly successful. Project Ara did not even make it out of the lab and into the hands of customers.
It’s hard to say why modular phones never quite took off. It could be an ecosystem thing. Buying a modular phone means locking into the company’s ecosystem for years. Had Apple launched its own modular handset, it might be a different story. However, one of Android’s strong suits is the wide availability of different hardware at different price points.
In any case, we’re not sure if smartphone makers will attempt another modular phone in the future. In fact, some believe the future of communications might not even come in the form of a phone, so there’s that.
The post HMD Reportedly Cancels the Fusion 2: Is the Modular Phone Dream Fading Again appeared first on Android Headlines.
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