The Nokia phone makers are making a Barbie flip phone

The Barbie fever continues. HMD Global, the company behind Nokia phones, has announced perhaps its most surprising collaboration yet - with Mattel's Barbie brand, which is enjoying ongoing success thanks to the over $1 billion box office smash hit and award-winning Barbie movie last year. This summer, HMD will release a Barbie-themed flip phone and a set of other new phone launches, including an HMD-branded smartphone under the company's name.

HMD is promising this "retro feature phone will flip the script on smartphone culture and will be this summer's hottest accessory." It could hit the right notes for those looking to ditch their smartphone addiction for a time or who want a fun accessory phone.

Promising “style, nostalgia, and a much-needed digital detox,” it will be a mid-tier feature phone rather than a high-end smartphone. Details remain thin for now – we only have a date and a single teaser image – but expect a traditional flip phone form factor in signature Barbie pink with some added sparkle and glam. Even the pricing and availability remain unconfirmed beyond the summer 2024 release, but we’re hoping it won’t cost an arm and a leg.

Who knows? We might see Ryan Reynolds don the pink flip phone in the sequel. That's something Great has to think about, but you might start to see it in the hands of people around you this July.

"We are very excited to announce the new HMD multi-brand strategy, which opens infinite colab possibilities. Our global association with Mattel to launch a Barbie co-branded device is a prime example," said Ravi Kunwar, Vice President - India & APAC at HMD.

The Nokia brand lives on…

The Barbie phone and HMD smartphone will join new Nokia-branded devices, too. HMD said that it remains committed to the famous mobile phone brand. The revived Nokia name has served it well in recent years, and it will continue the partnership with the launch of an iconic Nokia retro feature phone this summer. It follows previous remakes of Nokia classics like the 3310.

Modular phones are making a comeback again

HMD teased another interesting new project dubbed “HMD Fusion.” Designed as an open development platform, it features hardware connectors to allow accessories and modifications dubbed ‘smart outfits.’

So, it mirrors Motorola’s once-ambitious Mods accessories. An array of six pogo pins on the back allow users to attach hardware "outfits" to customise functionality, while an unlocked Android bootloader enables software customization.

Where are the phones, HMD?

That was all HMD had for us at the MWC. While it did not have anything new to show, the company did drop a teaser photo, which shows four phones – the pink one likely is the Barbie flip phone, and the yellow one looks reminiscent of the retro Nokia phone. The other two could very well be the first of HMD-branded phones due for the Summer.

"HMD will have 'easy repairability' and 'sustainability' as part of its brand promise always. We are confident about a strong, smart 5G portfolio for India and other markets, which we will announce very soon," Kunwar added further.