At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last February, HMD (Human Mobile Devices) announced that it would be making its own branded smartphones rather than using the “Nokia” name on everything. A big part of this is because the licensing agreement for the Nokia name expires in 2026, so HMD wants to get its name out there now. At that press conference in Barcelona, ​​HMD announced next to nothing, but did tease a Barbie phone without showing it.

Now we have the Barbie Dream Phone. This stupid flip phone will be available in the UK from Vodafone and Argos for around £99, which makes it pretty cheap, as you’d expect from a flip phone. And thanks to HMD’s partnership with Mattel, it’s Barbie-themed. That partnership would have made more sense last year when the Barbie movie came out.

HMD says the Barbie Dream Phone brings back “the joy of simpler, sweeter days.” It also includes digital wellbeing tips, calming tones and alarms, and self-care reminders. This basically makes it easier to stay off the phone. There’s also a rather unique “Hi Barbie” voice that greets you when you turn the phone on. You’ll then see a missed call notification from Ken. But which Ken? Is it Ryan Gosling, John Cena, Simu Liu, or another Ken?

The specifications of the Barbie Dream Phone are reminiscent of a few decades ago

A look at the spec sheet of this Barbie Dream Phone really takes you back to the early 2000s, with 128MB of storage and 64MB of RAM. There’s also a micro SD card slot – what smartphone can say that in 2024? It also has a 2.8-inch inner screen and a 1.77-inch outer screen, and is powered by a 1450mAh battery. Surprisingly, the battery is pink. HMD also includes two back covers with the phone, so you can change up the style a bit.

This clamshell phone runs on the S30+ operating system, an operating system for simple mobile phones that HMD and Nokia have been using since 2013. It was first used on the Nokia 108 and will be used on HMD-branded devices in 2024.

The Barbie Dream Phone goes on sale in the UK on August 28th at Vodafone and Argos for £99.