HMD 105 4G (2024, Europe) Review

Posted on 17 December 2024, Last updated on 21 December 2024 by Steve Paine

A waste of time or a must-have fallback? A burner? The HMD 105 4G (2024) is the latest low-cost, lightweight phone gadget and has an upgraded 2.5 inch screen. There are significant improvements over the previous model but It falls short on a few potential must-haves. Here is my full review of the latest variant of this €40 featurephone. (Bought, 16th Dec 2024.)

The new 105 4G arrived direct from HMD in Europe, on Wednesday 18th December.

HMD 105 4G (Europe, 2024-2025) overview

Like the Nokia 105 before it (my full review here), this HMD 105 update is small, cheap and focuses on just a few things. 4G calling, ~~MP3 player~~, SMS, long battery life, FM radio, flashlight and simplicity. It’s a dual-sim 4G variant with microSD card slot.

Unboxing reveals that it’s bigger than the previou version (see images below) but it looks much more modern. The keys are easier to use and have much higher contrast printing. The 3.5mm jack has moved to the bottom.

There are no classic Nokia sounds on the HMD 105 4G, but Snake is there.

The setup sequence highlights two new features. 1 – Child lock. 2 – battery optimisation (max 80% charging.)

The software looks much the same but the larger screen makes it a lot more comfortable and readable. But wait…there’s something missing.

Video review and comparison with the Nokia 105 4G

HMD 105 4G MP3 player missing

After scrolling through the menu system a few times I don’t see the MP3 player. Looking at the box, the MP3 player isn’t listed although on the web site, it is.

Using the file explorer to see if I can play an MP3 on the SDCard results in a “unsupported format” error which indicated that there’s no MP3 support / license included.

Initial software version details. 10.02.17.00

MP3 player hack for HMD 105 4G

In further testing I can confirm that by renaming MP3 files to .wav or .wma (no file conversion needed, just change the file extension) it is possible to play MP3 files via the Files app. You end up returning into the audio player app and it even appears to decodes ID3 tags to. Only artists are shown in the library and in the player.

There’s still no search facility in the music or files app but there is a new, quicker way to add to a playlist – use the right navigation button.

Music player app on HMD 105 with Artist, song length and Playlist function.

The volume on the HMD 105 4G is significantly higher than the Nokia 105 4G (2023) but the audio clarity is just as thin.

I have written to HMD support to ask them about this MP3 player problem in Germany and have recieved a very simple answer back. I can attempt a attempt a software upgrade or return the phone. Given that I’ve tried updating the software, it looks like there’s only one thing left to do. I’ll see if I can find a more official response before I do that though.

What’s the difference between the Nokia 105 4G (2023) and the HMD 105 4G (2024)?

Model number: TA-1663 DS (previous model: TA-1551)
SKU: 1GF029CPH1L03 Black/Noir
Newer CPU: Unisoc T127 (Previous: T107)
Larger screen, 2.4 inch, QVGA 320 x 240 pixels. (Previously 1.8 inch 160×120)
Different key style. (In my opinion, much better than the previous model.)
Brighter, dual LED flashlight
USB C port. (Charges at a slow 500mA.)
~~Wireless radio via Bluetooth. (The previous model only supported FM radio over headphone or speaker.)~~ Initial tests of this have failed.
~~Cloud phone app (YouTube and… YouTube music streaming in the India version.~~ Not in EU version)
IP54 protection (Europe, AU, NZ only)
Updated music player app includes artist listings.
~~Voiced menu system~~ Not on this version.
Dimensions: 126,07 mm X 50,5 mm (Previous: 121.50 x 50.00 x 14.40 mm)
Weight: 93 gm (Previous: 85 gm)

The battery is the BL-L5H, 1450mah which is the same as the previous model and now available for under €10. The 3.5m headphone jack is still included.

Better battery life? As yet, untested.
Threaded SMS?
RCS messaging support? No.
FM RDS data support? No.
Radio as alarm? No.
~~MP3 id3 tag support?~~ No MP3 support on this variant.
~~MP3 playlist support~~ No MP3 support on this variant.
~~MP3 search features?~~ No MP3 support on this variant.
USB-C faster charging. I’ve only seen 500 mA charging so far.
Any other usbc features? I haven’t been able to access the USB storage feature that was available on the Nokia 105 4G.
Opera mini useable? Yes. On the Nokia 105 4G it was unuseable. The ‘bigger’ screen helps.
New software features? Nothing noteable. All games apart from Snake are 30-day pay-by-SMS games.
FM Radio button is still dedicated to the right menu button and can’t be changed.
FM Radio is still not available over Bluetooth.