If you loved seeing Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling bring Barbie and Ken to the silver screen last year in the smash hit film Barbie and want a bit more pink in your life then you’re in luck. In an unlikely partnership, Finnish tech company HMD has announced a collaboration with toy maker Mattel that will bring an old school Barbie themed flip phone to store shelves later this year – and naturally it is bright pink.
You probably won’t be surfing Instagram on the phone though because HMD, which also currently makes Nokia branded devices, has confirmed the flip won’t be like the high-end folding phones such as the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. Instead, the Barbie Flip Phone will be like the flip phones of the early 2000s – a simple device for calls and texts that we hope snaps shut with a satisfying clack.
“The Barbie Flip Phone will arrive this summer 2024,” said HMD. “Promising style, nostalgia and a much-needed digital detox, this retro feature phone will flip the script on smartphone culture and will be this summer’s hottest accessory.”
We’ll have to take their word for it, because the company hasn’t yet shared images of the device, instead teasing the new hot pink flip with a pixelated image (see above).
It’s also not clear if HMD will slap the Nokia brand on the Barbie phone. The company has previously released similar so-called ‘dumbphones’ such as a reboot of the classic Nokia 3310, complete with Snake game, and the Nokia 8110, a remake of the slider phone famous for featuring in The Matrix. They had very basic functions, with no ability to download the usual apps as they didn’t run on Android.
The teaser for the new flip phone happened at Mobile World Congress, the annual mobile tech trade show in Barcelona. Express.co.uk was on the ground at the announcement, which caused a buzz at the show despite HMD refusing to actually show us what the phone will look like – or confirm how much it will cost.
But HMD currently sells a Nokia 2660 Flip dumbphone for £64.99, so hopefully the Barbie Flip Phone is as cheap as that. It could end up being the perfect phone to give to your child to keep them in touch with you but not give them a smartphone if you reckon they’re too young for the world of apps.
“At the heart of Mattel is design and innovation, and this latest collaboration is another step forward in that direction, said Ruth Henriquez, head of consumer products at Mattel EMEA. “The Barbie x HMD launch promises to be an exciting moment for Barbie fans of all ages, we’re excited to flip the switch and unveil it to the world at Mobile World Congress.”
