STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – HMD Global, which makes Nokia-branded phones, said on Monday it had teamed up with toymaker Mattel to launch the HMD Barbie, a small, pink flip phone with a retro design.
The phone goes on sale from Wednesday for £99 ($131.24). The device allows users to make calls and send texts but does not give them access to social media apps.
The company said the pink Barbie keyboard features hidden designs featuring palm trees, hearts and glow-in-the-dark flamingos.
The launch coincides with Barbie’s 65th birthday this year, and follows the success of last year’s Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie, which grossed $1.4 billion at the global box office.
“I imagine many people will be tempted to buy this as a distraction, but in reality everyone is so dependent on their smartphones that anything more than a one-day detox would be overkill,” said Ben Wood, senior analyst at research firm CCS Insight.
Research firm CCS Insight estimates that HMD could sell more than 400,000 Barbie phones in the UK, where they will be available through Vodafone (NASDAQ:) and Argos.
Finnish company HMD, backed by Alphabet (NASDAQ:) parent company Google and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:), has launched several feature phones, including re-releases of classic Nokia (HE:) phones like the 3210 and 3310.
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