HMD reveals Barbie flip phone release date – could be a rebadged Nokia

Earlier this year, the custodian of the Nokia mobile brand and now maker of its own smartphones, HMD, announced that it was partnering with Mattel for a dedicated Barbie phone.

It revealed some basic details during Mobile World Congress in February, with a teaser image or two showing Barbie holding a flip phone, but little else was revealed.

Now it has taken to X to announce a release date for the forthcoming device – 28 August 2024. However, a new picture tease might just have revealed something else too. At least one commenter has suggested that, based on the corner of the device we can see in the image, it might be a rebadged Nokia handset.

As well as its own Pulse range and the recently-launched Skyline mid-range Android phone, HMD has recently doubled-down on feature phones – cheaper devices designed for emerging markets and those who fancy a break from social platforms and apps.

This Barbie phone very much seems like it'll fit into that category – enabling users to undergo a "digital detox", while still keeping in touch with friends and family. It could be useful for younger children too, as it'll likely remain free from TikTok, Instagram and the like.

HMD has also recently drawn inspiration from Nokia handsets of the past for more recent devices, such as the Skyline, which owes much to the Nokia Lumia 920, and its reimagined classics, such as the reissued Nokia 3310.

It seems that another Nokia phone has provided the inspiration for the Barbie device too, with the Nokia 2660 Flip having a very similar bottom corner to the one shown in the post on X.

As noted by @tumsoma in the comments under the HMD's online announcement, the design is very similar.

As shown, the 2660 Flip even comes in "pop pink" already, and if this does turn out to be the case it means the Barbie phone is likely to come with two displays – one 2.8-inch main screen revealed when open, and a secondary 1.77-inch screen on the outside.

It has a single 0.3-megapixel camera, but this could be upgraded for the Barbie variant, of course.

Other notable specs include a 1,450mAh battery, Bluetooth 4.2 support, and 128MB of internal memory. There's a microSD card slot too for expansion by up to 32GB extra.

The Nokia 2660 Flip is a 4G device, so that might be something improved this time around, and we'd expect some dedicated Barbie gubbins preinstalled (as game support on the existing phone is limited to the likes of Snake and Tetris).

We'll find out more later this month, but it's certainly looking like the phone will be for those wanting to counter the AI-powered features offered by the best smartphones. And show your love for Barbie at the same time.