HMD’s Barbie ‘Brick’ Phone Helps Kids Digitally Detox

Designed in partnership with Mattel, HMD’s Barbie Flip Phone is the latest “dumb phone,” offering only calls and texting with no social media, 

The flip phone, which comes in iconic dual-tone Barbie “Power Pink” was pre-announced at MWC in Barcelona in February. The tagline “Give your smartphone a vacay” sums up the audience the phone is aimed at: younger users looking to digitally detox.

HMD has gone all-in on the Barbie theme. The phone comes in a pink jewelry box, with two replaceable back covers, retro Barbie stickers, and stick on crystals to customize the device. There’s also a beaded lanyard with attachable Barbie charms.

HMD’s Barbie Phone Boasts Decent, if Basic Specs

As for the specs, it boasts a basic 5-megapixel camera with built-in flash, a 1,450mAh battery offering up to seven hours of talk time, a headphone jack, and USB Type-C charging.

The dual-screen phone has a 2.8-inch TFT inner display and 1.77-inch TFT outer screen which doubles as a handy mirror. It measures 108 x 55 x 18.9cm and weighs 123.5 grams.

The Barbie phone packs 128MB of onboard storage and 64MB of RAM, and supports microSD cards to expand storage by up to 32GB. There’s an onboard FM radio and MP3 player, Bluetooth, and 4G.

Though the basic nature of HMD’s latest dumb phone won’t appeal to anyone looking for their next flagship smartphone, the Barbie phone will surely be a popular choice for parents looking to tackle their kids’ smartphone addiction, as well as the young at heart looking for a retro phone that provides a much-needed respite from the online world. 

The Barbie Flip Phone costs $129 and is available unlocked, so it will work with any major US carrier. Preorders open on September 23rd, with shipping starting October 1st.