The Barbie Phone is plastic, unbelievable, and impractical

The Barbie Phone, very similar to the doll it pays tribute to, is a factor of magnificence. But like that doll whose proportions, traditionally, are unimaginable, the Barbie Phone simply isn’t constructed for the trendy world.

Even if the ultra-feminine aesthetic isn’t your factor — and it’s probably not mine — it’s important to hand it to the Barbie flip telephone. From the field it is available in, to the interchangeable again plates, rhinestone stickers, and Barbie-fied interface, it’s a delight. The charger and battery are each pink, although they’re a lighter shade than Mattel’s trademarked Barbie Pink (Pantone 219). The telephone says “Hi Barbie!” if you flip it on. It’s the definition of committing to the bit.

The breezy enjoyable of the Barbie aesthetic, Pantone 219 or in any other case, is at odds with the precise expertise of utilizing the telephone. It’s primarily based on one in every of HMD’s characteristic telephones, and it runs an working system known as KaiOS. The telephone is designed for fundamental connectivity — texting, calling, emails — and even features a internet browser.

According to HMD, along with being cute, the nostalgic design and restricted characteristic set are alleged to encourage you to disconnect and spend time with your mates IRL. There are a sequence of “Barbie Tips” within the telephone’s menus that advise you on this level. 

“No want to surrender the smartphone completely,” reads Barbie Tip 1. “Find a steadiness between your smartphone and your Barbie Phone.” Barbie Tip 6 is titled “DreamHouse™️ Rule” and encourages you to “Make tech-free zones in your personal DreamHouse. More room for enjoyable!” Incidentally, Mattel says it sells a Barbie DreamHouse each two minutes. The DreamHouse retails for $199.99; the Barbie Phone is $129.99.

The thought of popping my SIM card within the Barbie telephone and working away for a weekend of digital detoxing with my besties sounds nice. The actuality isn’t really easy. Have you ever tried to enter your Google account password with an alphanumeric keypad? Do you know the way to search out the curly brackets in T9? I’ve and I do, due to the Barbie Phone, and I don’t want that on anybody. Typing out messages with predictive textual content is extra tedious than I bear in mind; if I used this telephone usually, I’d in all probability name folks much more.

Aside from texting, among the options of this characteristic telephone simply didn’t work correctly for me. I efficiently synced my Google calendar, however my appointments seem on the mistaken days for causes I can’t discern. I couldn’t get the FM radio app to acknowledge the wired earbuds I plugged into the three.5mm jack. The internet browser is painfully gradual and refuses to render The Verge in any usable type, although I understand I’m in all probability the one one that would try and learn The Verge on the Barbie Phone.

The delight I felt after I first unboxed the Barbie Phone was undoubtedly fading. Even the entrance of the telephone, which is generally coated by a mirror, regarded so much much less charming coated in my very own fingerprints and smudges. And I suppose having a mirror on the entrance of your telephone is cute, as a result of you may body up your selfies and verify your tooth for items of kale.

But you already know when it’s not cute? Having to take a look at your personal face each time you verify for a notification. This is a form of existential dilemma that Barbie doesn’t need to endure, as a result of Barbie’s make-up is pre-applied and he or she’s perpetually twenty two or no matter. I don’t wish to see my face after I’m checking texts, 4 espressos deep on a Tuesday morning with nary a drop of concealer below my eyes.

Barbie’s world is a dream. Unfortunately, the world during which the Barbie Phone lets me escape the drudgery of recent connectivity additionally appears to be a dream. Sure, it let me take a bit of trip from my smartphone and nonetheless textual content my associates. But largely, it simply changed the annoyances of utilizing an ultra-connected gadget with completely different annoyances.

Someone extra dedicated to utilizing T9 may in all probability have an pleasurable time with the Barbie Phone. Otherwise, that is only a neat collectible merchandise; one thing to take out of the field and play with for some time, however in the end depart in a drawer. Kind of like a doll.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge