HMD Touch 4G
Shares rank 5 of 9 dumb phones by recommenders
A small dumbphone that makes normal calls and works as a Wi-Fi hotspot, recommended as a cheap basic phone. Critics say it lacks 5G, WhatsApp and a good camera, and it is sold only in India.
A small dumbphone that makes normal calls and works as a Wi-Fi hotspot, recommended as a cheap basic phone. Critics say it lacks 5G, WhatsApp and a good camera, and it is sold only in India.
23 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 15
- approval share
- 35%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 0.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Simple calling with Wi-Fi hotspot
“It's a nice attempt. Dumbphone, with 2 MP camera and wifi hotspot. Sadly they shoot themselves in the foot by only offering it in india.”
Comment from 20 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” “Small, simple and useful wifi hotspot device with actual ability to call like normal phone.”
Comment from 20 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” Low price for what it does
“Not supporting 5G limits this devices longevity, although at the price point and Indian market focus, I think its acceptable.”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” “Amazed they can get the price that low.”
Comment from 20 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Weak camera quality
“the camera quality is not very good enough”
Comment from 20 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” “the camera is the one place they always cut very hard”
Comment from 20 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” No 5G, weak 4G coverage
“Not supporting 5G limits this devices longevity, although at the price point and Indian market focus, I think its acceptable.”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” “Good luck having no tower reception. 4G barely works anymore.”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” Not cheaper than Android rivals
“It's also not that cheaper compared to "proper" smartphone from other brands in that area.”
Comment from 20 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” “This doesn't seem very competitive: it's priced at ₹4,199 (€38,08) on HMDs store.”
Comment from 20 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” “I don't think it can compete with cheap android phones.”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” Locked software, no WhatsApp
“just a chat app targeting the same phone users and the ones willing to install the app in other phone brands”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” “HMD is working hard to make sure you have no say what software is running on your smartphone.”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” “Perhaps the limitation to whatever express chat is isn’t a dealbreaker in India.”
Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G” - Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G”
- Comment from 19 Jul 2026 in “HMD Touch 4G”
Other dumb phones people recommend
The four most recommended other dumb phones, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimal Phone 2 | 34 | 26 | 57% | 2 | — | — |
| Commodore Flip Phone | 31 | 16 | 66% | 6 | — | — |
| Nokia phones | 29 | 10 | 74% | 11 | — | Approved |
| Commodore Digital Detox Phone | 14 | 11 | 56% | 1 | — | — |
| HMD Touch 4GThis page | 8 | 15 | 35% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
25 of the 26 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“It's a nice attempt. Dumbphone, with 2 MP camera and wifi hotspot. Sadly they shoot themselves in the foot by only offering it in india.”
“this phone's YouTube reviews show it's running dog slow while lacking basic features”
“Small, simple and useful wifi hotspot device with actual ability to call like normal phone.”
“This doesn't seem very competitive: it's priced at ₹4,199 (€38,08) on HMDs store.”
“Serves no distinguishing factor.”
“literally no one wants to buy this slop device”
“the camera is the one place they always cut very hard”
“the camera quality is not very good enough”
“I doubt anyone I know would buy this”
“Amazed they can get the price that low.”
“If this one got GPS I would buy it.”
“It's also not that cheaper compared to "proper" smartphone from other brands in that area.”
“Not supporting 5G limits this devices longevity, although at the price point and Indian market focus, I think its acceptable.”
“Ideal hardware, garbage software (can't unlock HMD bootloaders)”
“This is perfect. I've been looking for a burner phone for when I'm in Guayaquil.”
“They couldn't find a stock photo for the selfie cam instead of using AI slop?”
“Check the cricket results”
“Without WhatsApp support it will not go far.”
“just a chat app targeting the same phone users and the ones willing to install the app in other phone brands”
“I don't think it can compete with cheap android phones.”
“they are not even trying anymore”
“Perhaps the limitation to whatever express chat is isn’t a dealbreaker in India.”
“given the feature restrictions perhaps it's meant as an ultra low end device”
“Good luck having no tower reception. 4G barely works anymore.”
“HMD is working hard to make sure you have no say what software is running on your smartphone.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.