HMD Barbie Mobile is a co-branded product with Mattel, the toy manufacturing giant behind the series.
head display
HMD, the company behind Nokia– Branded Phones, on Wednesday launched a Barbie-branded phone with calling, texting and a classic “clamshell” design, but no web or social media apps.
The HMD Barbie Phone is a bright pink device that opens and closes and features a bold “Barbie” logo on the back, recalling the iconic fashion doll line.
This is related to Mattelis the toy manufacturing giant behind the Barbie franchise and has been producing and selling Barbie toys and accessories since 1959.
The phone goes on sale in the UK on Wednesday, retailing for £99 ($130.74). HMD said it plans to launch in the U.S. “soon,” adding that it will reveal specific details of the U.S. rollout on social media.
Unlike the most widely used connected smartphones in today's mobile devices, HMD's Barbie Phone does not connect to the Internet.
The company is seeking to capitalize on the emerging trend in recent years of largely Gen Z consumers favoring so-called “dumb phones,” which lack the Internet and offer only basic texting, calling and camera functions.
The concept of “digital detox” has become increasingly popular over the past few years as consumers seek to limit the harmful impact of social media on their daily lives.
“In our fast-paced digital world, it often feels like the buzz online never stops,” HMD Chief Marketing Officer Lars Silberbauer said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This phone encourages you to ditch your smartphone when you just want to browse less and have more fun, all with the help of a true cultural icon, Barbie.”
HMD says the Barbie phone features a 0.3-megapixel camera and a flash for taking “Y2K-style” images. When taking photos, users can add Barbie Camera Frames to surround their photos.
The device will also come with a bright pink Barbie cover as well as two interchangeable back covers, one with colorful swirls and the other with a shooting heart design. It also comes with Barbie themed stickers and a pastel beaded phone strap.
HMD and Mattel hope to capitalize on the hype the 2023 “Barbie” movie generated for the Barbie line last year.
The blockbuster starring Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell grossed $1.4 billion, making it the highest-grossing film of 2023.
For some, there may be a feeling that this phone is being launched a little too late since the movie was released last July.
Although the phone was launched more than a year after the movie's release, research firm CCS Insight predicts good sales prospects for the device. It is estimated that HMD will sell 400,000 Barbie mobile phones in the UK this year.
“The Barbie phone taps into the current digital detox trend with a fun design that could have broad appeal,” Ben Wood, principal analyst at CCS Insight, said in emailed comments.
“I think a lot of people will want to buy it just because it's fun, but really, everyone is so attached to their smartphones that anything other than an odd-numbered day detox is going to be a stretch.”
HMD reached an agreement with electronics industry supplier Foxconn Technology to acquire the Nokia mobile brand from Microsoft in 2016 and has had the rights to sell Nokia-branded mobile products since 2016.
The company, then known as HMD Global, changed its name to Human Mobile Devices earlier this year. Nokia earns royalties from selling its branded devices through HMD.
