HMD Key announced for £59 in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand

Misread the title at first and was wondering why a 599 GBP phone would be noteworthy. For 59 GBP, this seems pretty decent for a basic phone. I was unaware Google still made "Go" versions of Android actually. I do think HMD could've done the screen design better and maybe promised at least one Android platform update instead of only security updates but overall, not a bad package for the price.

If your granny needs a phone so you can call her, this is probably good idea. Specifications are really bad, but it will be enough to call, IM and take and look at photos. It could also be good for kids if you just want them to have phone so you know they got home from school etc.

I have Nokia G22 (from HMD) and it is kinda similarly basic but with price tag of around 150-170€ (kinda twice this price) while also being low end phone (not this kind of low end though). I bought it simply because they announced they will make it repairable at home. And they delivered. I can buy display assembly, battery and connector board directly from iFixit where I can also find manuals. I had the phone disassembled already and it is a breeze compared to all the other designs out there.

Seems like HMD is kinda targeting the right sector with these phones - sector where nobody else competes, be it with price (HMD Key) or fixability (G22 and G42). Yes, the phones are straight bad in specifications but they offer other qualities.