The HMD Fuse smartphone approaches the issue of keeping children safe online in an interesting way. Instead of age checks or content bans, it includes an AI-powered content blocker specifically tuned to block nudity from apps and websites, delete images and videos containing nudity from the phone, and even stop the camera from capturing nude images, in video, still, and streaming form.
It does so using an existing tool called HarmBlock AI, which is built into the phone’s software, rather than being a separate app or working in the cloud, avoiding any way to bypass it including with a VPN. HMD says the AI has been “ethically trained on over 22 million harmful images” and doesn’t collect or share any data from the phone.
HarmBlock AI is only part of what makes the HMD Fuse ideal for kids. Out of the box it’s entirely free of, well, everything. There’s no app store or pre-installed social apps, but there is a built-in management system where, using an app installed on their own device, parents can approve what works on the phone and what does not.
Through the companion app, contacts must be approved, so kids can only contact pre-approved numbers, and location tracking can be set up with safe zones, where alerts are sent when a child enters or leaves. However, instead of keeping the phone locked down forever, the HMD Fuse’s functionality can be increased over time, including access to the Google Play Store and apps.
Under the cut-offs
The HMD Fuse is a relatively standard mid-range smartphone, and ideal as someone’s first device. It has a 6.56-inch screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 processor, 6GB of RAM, and a 5,000mAh battery.
Use of the camera can be restricted in the Fuse’s management app, but once opened up, it has a 108-megapixel main rear camera along with a 2MP depth camera, plus a 50MP fixed-focus selfie camera. HMD includes two of its modular case “Outfits” in the box, one for overall protection, and the other with a built-in ring light.
The phone follows on from HMD’s Fusion X1, the first in a series of phones designed for online safety, which launched at MWC 2025 in March. It comes with the Xplora app already installed, which is used to manage the device and ensure it’s safe for kids to enjoy. Both it and the Fuse are the result of HMD’s work with the Better Phone Project, an effort to create smartphones which are safe for kids to use, and also to help reduce smartphone and social media addiction.
The HMD Fuse is available in the U.K. now through the Vodafone and Three networks, where it costs £498 (about $670) without a contract, or from £23 per month, and this includes the use of HarmBlock AI. A U.S. release has not been announced at this time.
