The HMD Barbie Phone ($129.99) harkens back to the days when cell phones flipped open and were items to be accessorized. The phone is almost completely pink, comes with three interchangeable back covers, and includes a boatload of stickers and charms in its jewelry-box-like packaging. Thanks to its basic feature set, it makes for a good first phone for kids or a fun second phone for big Barbie fans. It’s simple to use and the available apps work well, but the phone is based on the Nokia 2780 Flip ($89.99) and carries over its biggest weaknesses: poor battery life and a mediocre camera. Because of this, the TCL Flip 2 ($79.99) remains our Editors’ Choice winner for feature phones. But if you care more about Barbie than battery, the HMD Barbie Phone has you covered (in bright pink).
Design: Barbie to the Core
The HMD Barbie Phone looks more like a toy phone than it does a real one that can make calls. The classic clamshell design is slathered in two shades of bright pink, and the front cover features a mirrored finish for those moments when you need to touch up your appearance. A small cutout for the camera dots the top of the mirror, and the Barbie logo frames it at the bottom.
When closed, the phone measures 4.48 by 2.28 by 0.78 inches (HWD) and stretches out to 7.96 by 2.28 by 0.46 inches when open. It weighs 4.27 ounces. These dimensions are almost identical to those of the underlying Nokia 2780 chassis (4.33 by 2.28 by 0.77 inches closed, 7.96 by 2.28 by 0.45 inches open, 4.63 ounces). The TCL Flip 2 is similar in size, measuring 7.91 by 2.19 by 0.31 inches open and 4.22 by 2.19 by 0.78 inches closed. It weighs 4.93 ounces. Either way, the Barbie Phone is small enough for most hands.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The phone comes in a sizable pink box filled with compartments that hold a pink charger, three interchangeable rear covers, a pink battery, two Barbie-themed sticker packs, a package of Barbie-themed charms, a pink cleaning cloth, and a beaded lanyard.
You need to remove the back cover to install the SIM card and battery. A slot for a microSD card is located in the battery compartment. The battery is easy to install, and you can quickly swap rear covers to whichever you like best. I used all three interchangeably, though I ultimately settled on the solid pink back with the large Barbie lettering.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The left side of the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired headphones, while the right side has a volume rocker and quick dial button. The right side also has a USB-C port for charging. The side buttons have a plasticky feel and make an audible sound when pressed.
The mirrored front surface hides a display underneath that lights up to reveal the time and notification alerts. This creates the illusion that the mirror on the front can tell the time. The mirror itself is a fingerprint magnet, which is likely why HMD includes a cleaning cloth. The 1.77-inch display has a limited resolution of 160 by 120 pixels and is monochrome only.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
Opening the phone reveals the internal 2.8-inch color display with a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels. The sizable pink keypad lights up with flamingoes, palm trees, hearts, and the Barbie logo behind the keys. The navigation pad takes up the top portion of the keypad. It features two shortcut buttons, a customizable quick action button that’s designated with the Barbie B, a back button, the call button, and the call end/power button. These are all wrapped around a directional pad with a select button at its center. Below the navigation section is a full number pad with large, easy-to-read numbers. The 5 key is indented slightly to help you orient your thumb on the number pad by touch.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The Barbie phone lacks an IP rating to protect it against dust or water, so it’s best to keep it away from the beach despite Barbie’s love of the Malibu sun. Further, the phone is rather slippery. When dropped, the back cover easily pops off, and the battery often flies out. This means you often find yourself reassembling it in order to get the phone back in working order.
Like the Nokia 2780, the Barbie Phone runs on a Qualcomm 215 processor. It comes with 512GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, though you can add more storage (up to 32GB) via microSD card. The TCL Flip 2 comes with a MediaTek 6739 processor, 1GB of RAM, and 4GB of storage, and you can also add more via microSD card.
Neither of these phones runs a smart operating system or powerful apps, so these specs aren’t nearly as important here as they would be on a smartphone. That said, the Barbie Phone feels speedy and responsive, with little lag between opening and closing apps.
Calls and Connectivity: Clear Enough for All Your Convos
We shouldn’t forget that the Barbie Phone’s main function is to make voice calls. Thankfully, it performs admirably in this capacity. Voice calls are loud and clear. I was consistently able to hear callers, even when loud snow plows drove past me at one point in testing. The earpiece reaches 71.6dB, while the speaker phone blasts out 78.4dB, making it loud enough to hear clearly in a small room. The TCL Flip 2 is louder (75.6dB and 87.6dB, respectively), though the Barbie phone should be loud enough for most people.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The phone ships unlocked, and since most US networks have dumped 2G and 3G, it works with most carriers via LTE 4G. It doesn’t support 5G service and relies on Voice over LTE (VoLTE) to connect calls. I tested my review unit on the Consumer Cellular network.
The phone comes with the outdated Wi-Fi 4 standard for connecting to the internet at home. This means Wi-Fi calling is available, which is nice if you live in an area without great cell reception.
Texting and group messaging worked well on the phone. I was able to send and receive SMS and MMS messages—including photos—without issue and in a timely manner. The only downside is that you have to type them out on the number pad. T9 is on board for those whose aughts-era muscle memory still works.
The 3.5mm headphone jack allows you to connect your favorite pair of wired headphones. The older Bluetooth 4.2 standard is on board, but it supports only basic profiles and is best reserved for connecting a Bluetooth headset for voice calls.
Battery: A Bummer for Barbie
The Barbie Phone’s one major downside is its short battery life. Its 1,450mAh battery only lasted 3 hours and 48 minutes for a continuous VoLTE call. I ran out of battery after 5 hours and 30 minutes of calling, texting, and navigating around the phone. In comparison, the TCL Flip 2 got approximately 14 hours of talk time on 4G. Thankfully, the Barbie Phone’s standby time is about two days.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
Camera: Basic at Best
The Barbie Phone has a 5MP camera positioned at the top of the outer shell. It’s somewhat bonkers that you cannot use the mirror to take selfies when the phone is closed; the camera only works when the phone is open. The camera button is highlighted on the screen by default when you flip open the phone. The camera does have a flash, but it doesn’t seem to help much. Photos lack detail and are soft and grainy—even those taken in bright daylight. The phone records 480p video, which looks similar to stills in terms of quality.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
Budding photographers who want to take good photos would do well to pick up a real camera or even an affordable smartphone like the $199.99 Samsung Galaxy A15 5G.
Software: KaiOS Meets Barbie
KaiOS is an operating system made specifically for feature phones, though HMD puts its own Barbie spin on it for this device. The phone says “Hello Barbie” upon startup, comes with Barbie wallpaper, and has pink Barbie-themed icons for the onboard applications.
Apps include what you might call all the basics for a feature phone. You get a calculator, calendar, call log, camera, clock, internet, file manager, FM radio, gallery, games, messages, music, recorder, settings, and video. Others include email, Google, Google Maps, news, notes, Kai Weather, and the KaiOS Store. Last, there’s the game Snake and an app called Barbie Tips, which provides advice on how to live a life with more digital balance.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
The KaiOS store has plenty of free apps, though none you’ve likely heard of before. There are 8×8 Checkers and Whack A Mole, as well as an expense tracker and unit converter. None come from recognizable developers.
While the app store may be lackluster, the operating system itself is intuitive and easy to use. I enjoyed the Barbie icons, which brought life to what can sometimes feel like a stale interface. HMD hasn’t committed to any software updates, which isn’t surprising for a feature phone.
(Credit: Sarah Lord)
Navigating online is possible via the internet app, but it’s difficult. The pages don’t render particularly well, and typing in a web address with the keypad feels almost impossible. You can’t access any of the popular streaming music apps on the phone, though you can listen to the FM radio (as long as you plug in wired headphones) or load some of your own music through your computer or microSD card.
Verdict: A Fun Phone for Barbie Fans
The HMD Barbie Phone does a lot of things well. It takes the retro flip design and turns it into a fun, customizable experience. The phone itself is loud and clear for voice calls, making it a good way for kids to stay connected without having unfettered access to the internet. That said, its battery life and lackluster camera fall short, even by flip phone standards. The TCL Flip 2 might not be nearly as pink or as fun as the Barbie Phone, but it offers significantly better battery life for $50 less, so it remains our Editors’ Choice winner.
Pros
Cons
The Bottom Line
The HMD Barbie is a simple flip phone that’s heavy on nostalgia and accessorized to the max.
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About Sarah Lord
Analyst, Mobile
