Like a tie-in video game that was somewhat delayed, Nokia owner HMD is finally getting around to releasing its Barbie smartphone. If you recall, the best Ken movie ever made was released to general acclaim at the end of last year. For a time, everything was pink. Now it can be again.
HMD mentioned that it was releasing this phone, as well as its hard-to-locate Heikenen edition, at the beginning of this year. It’s not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, being a dumbphone (what did HMD mean by that?), but it’s astonishingly retro. And pink.
Come on, Barbie, let’s go party
If you’re not sure if the Barbie phone is for you, ask yourself whether you need a handset that anyone can use (seriously, what are they trying to say?). It’s not massively dissimilar to the Nokia 2660 in terms of design and (probably) internals, with the Mattel branding and pink hue meaning you can use it to signal the International Space Station if you want to.
There aren’t any (real) apps on the phone and there’s no touchscreen backing the 2.8in panel you’ll be spending your time on. Instead of the usual flip-phone potato-cam, HMD has opted for a 5MP camera for its Barbie phone. Hopefully, the internal storage has been suitably expanded but these tend to support microSD (or SD) cards so you can add your own.
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But it’s not just about the bright pink phone to signal your allegiance to Mattel’s corporate higher-ups and/or Margot Robbie. The handset will launch in October this year, priced at R2,400 ($130), with the phone, several themed covers, and a collection of Barbie additions like stickers, stick-on gems, a beaded bracelet, and plastic charms that all stick to the aesthetic that was so popular when Barbenheimer was a thing.
If you’re keen on picking up your own shocking pink feature phone, you’re either in for a wait or you’ll have to do a spot of importing. It’s currently up for pre-order on HMD’s international site but doesn’t appear on the local website.