What you need to know
- The new XploraOne phone by HMD removes social media entirely.
- Parents get full control, including the ability to approve contacts, restrict calls, and remotely review the device's photo gallery.
- Pricing isn’t confirmed yet, but it’s likely to align with Xplora’s wearable lineup.
Enjoy our content? Make sure to set Android Central as a preferred source in Google Search, and find out why you should so that you can stay up-to-date on the latest news, reviews, features, and more.
Most parents have faced the tough moment when their child asks for a smartphone, and it feels like the only options are making them feel left out or giving them access to the whole internet. It’s a lose-lose scenario that HMD Global and Norwegian smartwatch brand Xplora are finally trying to fix.
Instead of cramming another budget Android device with TikTok-baiting features, the company has teamed up with Xplora to build a phone that tries the opposite approach. The new XploraOne drops social media entirely.
If the name sounds familiar, that’s because Xplora has spent years making kid-focused wearables. But this is its first step into feature phone territory. The XploraOne offers core functions, supporting messaging, calling, location tracking, and a simple camera, without added games or app stores.
The camera setup on the XploraOne Mini is simple, though exact specifications have not been shared. The focus is safety: parents can remotely manage contacts, approve calendar changes, set call restrictions, review messages, and access the child’s photo library.
The XploraOne builds on HMD and Xplora’s growing partnership, picking up where the HMD Fusion X1 left off. That earlier device set the tone for the collaboration by baking strong parental controls into a subscription setup that gave families tighter, app-level oversight.
There is no official price for the new kid-friendly phone yet, but Xplora may aim for the same market as its wearables. Parents who’ve been hunting for a phone that doesn’t feel like handing over the keys to the entire internet may want to keep an eye on this.
