If you haven’t already heard, the flip phone is making a comeback – thanks to a collaboration between Human Mobile Devices or HMD, the smartphone maker behind Nokia, and toy maker Mattel. We are not talking about the foldable screen flip phone like the Oppo Find N2, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, or the Nubia Flip 5G, btw; we are talking about the actual flip phone of the pre-smartphone era.
Human Mobile Devices or HMD, the smartphone maker behind Nokia, has partnered with Mattel to create the Barbie Flip Phone. The Barbie Flip Phone, which is set to arrive in Summer 2024, promises to embody the vintage chic of the original girl empowerment brand with, you guessed it, a dash of pink and sparkle.
This exciting news was revealed at the Mobile World Congress in February. Apparently, screenagers and Gen Z alike are down for feature phones. Wait what? Then how the hell did social media have so many Gen Zs? Then again, the numbers don’t lie. According to HMD, feature phones are indeed returning with the Flip Phone sales doubling in Europe (2022 vs. 2023).
Besides the exciting prospect of a Barbie-themed flip phone, nothing is known about the device. But we are already in May, so we probably don’t have to wait long to hear the details.
Oh, for the uninitiated, “screenager” is described as a person in their teens or early 20s who is good are computers and spends a lot of time online. I know. It’s ironic because this group of people’s life revolves around the internet but is also actively trying to go offline. Anyhoo, who knows, the smartphone era may be shifting to a split situation where a phone means a smartphone and a feature phone too. So next time when you talk about phones, you have to be specific.
Images: HMD.
