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Hot on the heels of last year’s Barbie phone, HMD is back with more niche phones to appeal to those whose preferences and needs fall outside of the regular iPhone/Android flagship binary.
Some companies rocked up at Mobile World Congress 2025 here in Barcelona with no new phones to show off — but not HMD. It brought its A-game to the mobile show, with a shed-load of fresh products.
HMD, short for Human Mobile Devices, is best known for making Nokia phones. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the company is once again releasing an update of the classic Nokia phone — the 3210 — but this time in the colors of Barcelona Football Club.
The company has an ongoing partnership with the elite European soccer team, announcing its first FC Barcelona-themed device last year. This latest update to the 3210 includes hidden messages from players, custom wallpapers and the classic mobile game Snake, this time played on a football pitch.
The HMD Barça Fusion, meanwhile, is a collector’s edition smartphone engraved with the signatures of 11 of the club’s star players. HMD also promises Easter eggs that will appeal to fans, and you can even be woken up by the voice of one of your favorite players in the morning.
HMD’s partnership with Barcelona has resulted in a number of special edition phones.
Not a Barcelona fan? One of HMD’s other phones might be a better fit for you. The Fusion X1 is the company’s first smartphone for teens, created off the back of its Better Phones Project — an effort to bring families into the process of designing devices.
The Fusion X1 allows parents control over kids’ phones with a monthly Xplora subscription. This allows parents to have control over internet browsing and social media, in addition to a “School Mode.” The subscription also provides continuous location tracking at 20-second intervals with safe zones, emergency SOS calling, low battery alerts and remote device access — your teen will be thrilled.
The Fusion X1 is a smartphone, but HMD is best known for making feature phones. The feature phone market is declining, but the company says it has defied the overall trend, and last year not only gained market share but saw double-digit growth. No wonder, then, that it’s back at the show this year with a handful of feature phones.
Along with the HMD 2660 — a classic flip phone — the company unveiled two phones for music lovers. The big selling point of the HMD 150 and 350 is their retro feel, combined with prominent speakers, FM radios and long battery lives make them feel like the perfect festival phones. Let’s just hope no-one uses those statement speakers to play music on public transport.
