Thinking of escaping the doomscrolling delivery system that is a regular big-screened phone? HMD has something retrolicious on the way, inspired by a toy you might have loved.
Near the end of phone season with recent Pixels announced and a new set of iPhones on the way shortly, HMD is releasing something fun.
On the one hand, it has Australia’s first Qi2 Android phone on the way in the HMD Skyline, something we’re surprised we didn’t see in the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, but HMD’s latest mobile isn’t quite that, either.
Rather, it’s something made for people who are sick of spending their time staring into the abyss of apps that seemingly suck you in and keep you there. Yes, it’s another of HMD’s phones focused on letting you have a digital detox of sorts.
It’s called the HMD Barbie Phone, and while we’re in Australia, it relates to the toy, not the BBQ in Strine.
Definitely something different, the HMD Barbie was previewed previously but has taken its time to arrive.
The Barbie movie came out in cinemas in Australia back in July last year, while a digital release was a few months later. HMD’s Barbie Phone isn’t out until September 5, making its release timing less about the Barbie movie, and more about Barbie itself, the toy and the concept.
Don’t think of this as a modern smartphone, either. You won’t be browsing the web or scrolling through TikTok on the thing.
Rather, you’ll be making and taking calls, reading and sending texts, and maybe playing Snake, albeit a Barbie edition of the thing called “Malibu Snake” with palm trees, hearts, and flamingos that light up in the dark. It’s a Barbie phone, after all.
And because it’s the HMD Barbie Phone, it comes in bright pink with replaceable covers, two of which are found in the box, which also doubles as a jewellery box you can use after you’ve emptied it.
Other things are in the box, including stickers, gems, charms, and a beaded phone strap to can use to hold the phone with.
The HMD Barbie does look like the sort of phone a real-life Barbie would want to have alongside as she drove her Dream Car, or maybe even the film’s C1 Corvette, and it even has a mirror on the front you can use to check yourself out in.
Don’t expect to use it for apps, though; they don’t exist on this phone. Relying on the S30 operating system used on other digitally detoxed mobiles released by HMD with a 2.3 inch screen and coming with a piddly 0.3 megapixel camera, you might be lucky to find WhatsApp and… that’s about it.
The camera resolution is so low, you definitely won’t want to snap photos of friends with it. Consider bringing a real camera while using this.
Instead, the HMD Barbie is for calls, texts, and maybe spelling out Barbie by pressing *#227243# and seeing what happens, giving you a little easter egg among the many others, including a missed call notification from Ken (of course, he’s at the beach), sounds and notifications based on the vibe of the beach and Dream House, Barbie self-care reminders and life-balance tips, and the phone also saying “Hi Barbie” when it switches on. It’s very Barbie-focused, and feels like it has made for the real-world.
It will also come with a real-world price of $199 in Australia, which makes it about $100 more than most digital detox equivalents, though it does also come with more, per se. The little bit of extra makes the phone stand out, which it definitely will when used in a crowd, thanks to its retro design.
We can see fans of the franchise digging this, and also even kids. In fact, given that you can’t use apps, it might be a phone parents consider for kids who like Barbie and want to make sure they’re not sucked into the world of apps like they might be.
Australians can expect to find the HMD Barbie in stores on September 5 for $199 locally.
