Nokia maker unveils new Barbie flip telephone however you’ll have to attend to purchase it
If you really liked seeing Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling deliver Barbie and Ken to the silver display final 12 months in the smash hit film Barbie and desire a bit extra pink in your life then you definately’re in luck. In an unlikely partnership, Finnish tech firm HMD has introduced a collaboration with toy maker Mattel that can deliver an old style Barbie themed flip telephone to retailer cabinets later this 12 months – and naturally it’s shiny pink.
You most likely gained’t be browsing Instagram on the telephone although as a result of HMD, which additionally at the moment makes Nokia branded gadgets, has confirmed the flip gained’t be just like the high-end folding telephones such because the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. Instead, the Barbie Flip Phone can be just like the flip telephones of the early 2000s – a easy system for calls and texts that we hope snaps shut with a satisfying clack.
“The Barbie Flip Phone will arrive this summer 2024,” stated 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 must take their phrase for it, as a result of the corporate hasn’t but shared pictures of the system, as an alternative teasing the brand new sizzling pink flip with a pixelated picture (see above).
It’s additionally not clear if HMD will slap the Nokia model on the Barbie telephone. The firm has beforehand launched comparable so-called ‘dumbphones’ reminiscent of a reboot of the traditional Nokia 3310, full with Snake sport, and the Nokia 8110, a remake of the slider telephone well-known for that includes in The Matrix. They had very fundamental capabilities, with no potential to obtain the standard apps as they did not run on Android.
The teaser for the brand new flip telephone occurred at Mobile World Congress, the annual cellular tech commerce present in Barcelona. Express.co.uk was on the bottom on the announcement, which precipitated a buzz on the present regardless of HMD refusing to truly present us what the telephone will appear like – or verify how a lot it is going to price.
But HMD at the moment sells a Nokia 2660 Flip dumbphone for £64.99, so hopefully the Barbie Flip Phone is as low-cost as that. It might find yourself being the right telephone to present to your little one to maintain them in contact with you however not give them a smartphone in case you reckon they’re too younger 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.”