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Soon, a Barbie flip phone will make its way to the market, courtesy of HMD, short for Human Mobile Devices, and toy maker Mattel. During the Mobile World Congress on Sunday, HMD Global and Mattel announced that they are launching a Barbie phone this summer. Both brands are tapping into the power of nostalgia and capitalizing on the craze for the world’s most famous doll, following the release of the blockbuster movie last year.
HMD, the company known for bringing back Nokia into the phone market in 2016, did not showcase the device at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, nor did they share information on the price and availability. However, expect the Barbie flip phone to be an old-school type device with buttons rather than a touch screen, and it comes in a hot pink colour.
The brand hopes the new Barbie flip phone will help increase its presence in international markets. It is one of several devices HMD plans to launch in the coming months, including a new Nokia-branded retro feature phone, an HMD-branded smartphone, and a new development platform called “HMD Fusion” that will add modular functionality to a smartphone.
HMD Global plans to continue selling Nokia-branded phones, but as part of a new strategy, it will also design phones for other companies under a white-label operation.
Chinese phone maker Xiaomi made a pitch to compete with Apple and Samsung with its 14 smartphone series at the Mobile World Congress wireless show in Barcelona. The high-end flagship series, which includes the baseline 14 and 14 Ultra smartphones, and both models coming to Europe, have cameras co-engineered with the iconic German camera maker Leica.
The Xiaomi 14, starting at 999 Euros, comes with a trio of 50-megapixel sensors in its main, wide, and 3.2x telephoto cameras. Meanwhile, the top-end Xiaomi 14 Ultra features a 1-inch camera sensor, a variable aperture lens, and dual-telephoto cameras. The Ultra’s 1-inch sensor is larger than most other camera sensors currently used in phones. It also includes not one but two telephoto lenses: a 3.2x and a 5x, both of which are stabilized. The 14 Ultra has a 6.78-inch variable refresh rate display (1 to 120Hz) with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits and a 5,000-mAh battery. It will start at 1499 Euros. Both the 14 and 14 Ultra will ship with Xiaomi’s HyperOS, built on top of Android.
Xiaomi also introduced three new smartwatches, including the Watch S3, which not only has a more classic watch design but its bezels can be swapped out for different styles. It is also bringing a slightly upscale Watch 2 to the market, running Google’s Wear OS. Beyond new smartphones and smartwatches, Xiaomi also debuted the Pad 6S Pro. The tablet, competing with Apple’s iPad, has a 144Hz screen, six speakers with Dolby Atmos support, and built-in AI features like generating images from your sketches. It costs 699 Euros.
Along with premium hardware, Xiaomi has tried to position its products as unique by offering robust software and ecosystem support, taking a page out of Apple. Xiaomi is among the top five smartphone makers in the world, according to market research firm Canalys.
Another Chinese smartphone maker Honor launched the Magic 6 Pro and the Porsche Design Honor Magic V2 RSR, a special edition of the Magic V2 foldable with better specs and a design themed around the German car brand. The Magic 6 Pro boasts several AI-powered features, similar to Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S24 series.
Chinese phone makers, once known for keeping prices low by reducing the profit margin and turning to cheaper components, are now entering the high-end smartphone market in a push to better compete with Apple and Samsung, who lead in the premium phone segment. This means that high-end phones from brands like Xiaomi cost more but also have sleeker designs and take better pictures.
This year’s Mobile World Congress, taking place between February 26 and 29, will showcase the newest and latest smartphones and other mobile devices from top brands. The presence of Chinese brands exhibiting at MWC has increased over the years, and their participation in Europe’s biggest tech show certainly helps create a buzz around the new products.
