Flagship smartphones are not cheap. You’re probably used to seeing hefty price tags for these devices, especially if you have a newer phone like theiPhone 16orPixel 9. Even mid-range alternatives like thePixel 8acost $500 regularly priced. However, a new phone from HMD looks to redefine how affordable a smartphone can be.
HMDhas officiallyrevealedthe HMD Key, a new budget-friendly smartphone. The phone costs just £59 in the UK, with equivalent pricing in Australia and New Zealand. While there is no official word on a US release date/price yet, the UK price converted is about $75. Given the low cost, the HMD Key does have some steep compromises.
The phone has a 6.52-inch display with a 576 x 1280 pixel resolution, 460 nits of brightness and a 60Hz refresh rate. The phone may be challenging to see outside on a sunny day, but for $75, it’s hard to complain. The phone caters to people who need an essential cellular device that can access apps. The HMD Key is available in two colors: midnight black and icy blue.
The HMD Key is an ultra-affordable smartphone available in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. There is no word on a U.S. release date yet.
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The HMD Key has a hefty battery
The phone does have some mediocre internal specs, though
Under the hood, the HMD Key doesn’t have much to be impressed by besides its 4,000mAh battery, which HMD claims will get 47 hours of battery life. This is likely due to the phone’s low-brightness display and low-powered chipset. The phone’s chipset is a Unisoc 9832E, supported by 2GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage. The phone uses virtual memory, which takes 2GB of storage space and treats it as RAM to help it run better.
Camera-wise, the HMD Key has a single eight-megapixel rear camera and a five-megapixel front selfie camera. The phone has multiple camera modes, including Portrait, Night Pro, Slow Motion, Time Lapse, and Panorama. The phone has an IP52 dust and water resistance rating.
The HMD Key does not runAndroid 15and instead runs Android 14 Go, a basic version of the Android operating system that is slightly outdated. HMD does promise quarterly security updates for two years on the device to keep its users safe. There is no word on when or if the HMD Key will launch in the US. Its ultra-low price of $75 is intriguing, even if its specs are not.
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