HMD just partnered with Heineken on the world’s most boring phone (literally)

Human Mobile Devices (HMD) ripped up the rulebook at MWC 2024 by announcing the Barbie Flip Phone, a stripped-back (and suitably pink) device that aims to “flip the script on smartphone culture” when it launches later this year.

Now, the Nokia phone manufacturer is doubling down on its minimalist vision with the Boring Phone, an even more simplistic take on mental wellbeing tech – developed in collaboration with beer brand Heineken – whose primary function is to send and receive calls and text messages (it does have a camera, but wait until you hear the megapixel count…).

HMD says the limited-edition device is “designed to deliver the basics needed for a great night out” and “is unable to download social media or other apps,” but the phone’s voguish transparent casing and holographic stickers suggests the company still had Gen Z in mind when designing it.

You’ll get a week of standby time and up to 20 hours of talk time with the Boring Phone, and the likes of Samsung and Apple will be quaking in their boots when they learn that this device comes packing an almighty 0.3MP rear camera. We say ‘rear’ camera, but there’s only one. You do get Snake, though.

Just how boring is the Boring Phone? Check out the full specs table below:

If you’re wondering what all this has to do with Heineken, the company’s head honcho, Nabil Nasser, has said the following: “At Heineken, we want to foster moments of genuine connection and help people experience the joy of true togetherness. In creating The Boring Phone we have gone back to basics, we have dialed down the tech to help people truly connect over a beer, without any distraction from the constant buzzing and dings.”

Here’s how the Boring Phone looks up close:

HMD has confirmed that the Boring Phone will debut at Milan Design Week on April 18, though we don’t yet know if (or when) the device will become available for purchase. We do know that HMD is planning to launch “an app that will turn smartphones boring” in June this year, so those who don’t manage to get their hands on the physical Boring Phone will presumably still be able enjoy/tolerate the suitably boring Boring Phone experience.

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Axel is TechRadar’s UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site’s Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.  Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.