There's A $129 Barbie Phone Generating Tons Of Buzz — Is It Worth The Pink Hype?

Author: Ananya Gairola | August 28, 2024 12:55am

HMD Global, the company behind Nokia-branded phones, has teamed up with toy manufacturer Mattel Inc. (NASDAQ:MAT) to introduce a Barbie-themed flip phone.

What Happened: The partnership between HMD Global and Mattel has given birth to the HMD Barbie Phone, a compact, pink flip phone with a retro design.

The device is available in most countries including the U.K. at €129 and Europe at £99 starting Wednesday. However, in the U.S. it will go on sale in October at a price tag of $129, reported GSM Arena. The pre-orders for the same will start on Sept. 23 in the U.S.

See Also: Steve Jobs Once Said He Was A Millionaire At 23, Worth $10M By 24, And Had $100M by 25 — This Shaped His Decision To Stay On A $1 Salary Throughout His Time At Apple

HMD Barbie Phone is designed for basic communication, allowing users to make calls and send texts, but does not support social media apps. It features a pink keypad with hidden designs of palm trees, hearts, and flamingos that light up in the dark.

The phone features a single VGA (0.3MP) camera, Bluetooth 5 connectivity, a headphone jack, and a USB-C port for charging and data transfer.

It has an internal storage of 128 GB, but the company says, “Pre-installed system software and apps use a significant part of memory space.” Moreover, a wall charger is not included with the product, because the company wants to “reduce e-waste.”

The Barbie Phone also includes two extra back covers, a beaded lanyard, and stick-on gems for personalized customization. It also comes with the iconic Snake game.

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Why It Matters: The launch coincides with the 65th birthday of the Barbie doll. It also comes on the heels of the successful “Barbie” movie, which was released by Warner Bros. Discovery and Mattel Inc.

The film featuring Margot Robbie in the titular character was one of the most anticipated movies of 2023, set box office records, grossing $337 million worldwide in its opening weekend.

Photo Courtesy NightGliderSA on Shutterstock.com

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Posted In: MAT