The HMD Key is the latest in a range of affordable smartphones from the manufacturer. It is clearly not aimed at power users who need high specs, but more at discerning, budget-conscious buyers. When the review unit was offered to Ausdroid, I had a few things on my plate at the time, so I thought it might be a good chance (during the school holidays) to get my youngest some hands-on time with her first smartphone.
It is an affordable smartphone featuring a 6.52-inch HD display with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 60Hz refresh rate. It is powered by a Unisoc 9832E processor, 2GB of RAM (with up to 2GB virtual RAM), and 32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD up to 128 GB. The device includes an 8MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, and a 5MP front camera. It runs on Android 14 Go and has a 4,000mAh battery supporting 10W charging.
Connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS/AGPS/Galileo, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Additional features include FM radio and a range of camera modes, such as Portrait, Night, Pro, Slow Motion, QR code scanner, Timelapse, and Panorama.
The first impressions:
After handing the phone to Jenny, a few immediate thoughts came to her before she even turned it on.
As someone who (a 6-foot-tall man) has big hands, phone size isn’t something I’m generally too stressed about. But for a 12 year old young lady, who is a petite build – It’s a bit more important for her to be able to easily use the screen. There are not going to be any phones that are easy for her to use single-handed, so for her to comment that the phone is a “really good size” straight away means it’s hit the mark she needs.
Moving on to things important to “tweens”, the aesthetic was the following item of note when Jenny started to look at the device. Noting that the colour (icy blue) is a tone of turquoise, the same as the Nokia 3210 she’s been rocking as her phone for the last few months, which put a grin on her face, and a tinge of jealousy in Jo’s heart.
The camera position was the third and final item that got some immediate attention. Back to my earlier point about the size of her hands, she needs to hold the phone with two hands and (particularly with my Pixel, for some reason) often takes photos with at least part of a finger in the shot. Because the Key is a single lens and its positioning, Jenny said that the camera is well positioned.
Setup and initial thoughts
Sometimes, it’s not easy to be fair to devices because I’m fortunate enough to have a top-flight phone in my pocket most of the time. So, I found the setup a little laborious, as the processing took significantly longer than other phones I’ve recently reviewed. But once that initial installation process was over, adding accounts and customising the Home Screen was as smooth and hassle-free as phones that cost 10 or 15 times more money.
Whether users are being forced to new devices due to 3G redundancy, older users who “don’t need a smartphone” or, like in my case, younger users who are getting their first smartphone, the HMD Key absolutely has a place in the market.
I’ll be spending more time with Jenny over the next few weeks to complete a full review of the HMD Key.
