HMD Touch 4G Launched as India's First Hybrid Phone

The Nokia parent brand HMD has today unveiled a new kind of Hybrid Phone dubbed the HMD Touch 4G. It seems to be a one-of-its-kind phone that blends feature phone characteristics with smartphone DNA inside a small form factor. Here's a detailed specification, pricing and availability breakdown of the phone.

HMD Touch 4G is small and unique to say the least

The Touch 4G from HMD is unlike anything that is in the smartphone market currently. It is a metal unibody sandwich, which has extremely rounded edges (almost cylindrical) and is only 102.3 mm long. At first glance, it reminds us of the iPod Shuffle (without the display part) and is very close to the Nokia Asha phone, which launched way back in 2012.

HMD Touch 4G design — Image Credit: HMD (edited by Siddhartha Samaddar/ Beebom Gadgets)

At the front, there is a 3.2-inch QVGA touchscreen, which is surrounded by thick bezels. There is an earpiece slit at the top just beside the selfie camera and a home + power button at the bottom chin section.

There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top and what HMD is calling the Quick-Call button on the Touch 4G. Users will be able to record voice messages in an instant using the same and it even doubles as an emergency trigger.

HMD Touch 4G display and quick action button — Image Credit: HMD (edited by Siddhartha Samaddar/ Beebom Gadgets)

On the inside, there is the budget Unisoc T127 processor running the show. It is paired with 64 MB of RAM and 128 MB of storage. Software-wise, the HMD Touch 4G does not use Android as its operating system. It is running on RTOS Touch, which is custom-built to suit a touchscreen and app usage functionality.

For communication, users will be able to download the Express Chat app via the Play Store. However, for other applications, the device will rely on Cloud Phone Service to enable features like video playback, radio, messages, gallery, games and more.

HMD Touch 4G software features — Image Credit: HMD (edited by Siddhartha Samaddar/ Beebom Gadgets)

Due to the size constraint, the HMD Touch 4G has only managed to fit in a removable 1,950mAh battery. It charges via USB-C from the bottom. HMD claims up to 30 hours of battery life for the phone.

Other than that, the HMD Touch 4G brings Wi-Fi support, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS and 4G connectivity. It is priced at Rs 3,999 and is already available to purchase via the HMD India website. If someone is looking for an eye candy that can double down as quite the secondary phone, the Touch 4G could very well be one of the best phones under Rs 5,000.