The Boring Phone repurposes the flip phone for a new generation

HMD and Heineken has teamed up to announce The Boring Phone, which repurposes the flip phone for a new generation.

This team up between the Finnish manufacturer behind Nokia’s latest phones and the Dutch lager maker (as well as streetwear brand Bodega) essentially markets the lack of social media access as a killer feature, so you can go out and drink more beer with your friends.

It sounds like an April Fools’ Day prank, but we’re about a fortnight late on that one.

The phone itself closely resembles one of the flippable feature phones that HMD still makes under the Nokia brand, only with several design flourishes to appeal to a younger audience rather than the customary older users. These include a transparent case and a green circuit board that shows through. There are also holographic stickers littered around the exterior.

You get a simple 2.8-inch QVGA display on the inside, and a more basic 1.77-inch display on the outside. There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack for that proper retro feel.

You’ll find a full physical keyboard when you flip the phone open, which reflects the fact that The Boring Phone has been designed with only call and basic messaging functions in mind. It’s possible to play Snake and take (presumably terrible) snaps with its 0.3MP camera, but the emphasis is very much on only using the phone for the essentials.

Besides the lack of online functionality, the old feature phone attributes of lightweight (123g) plastic robustness and week-long battery life are also passed off as refreshing qualities. Which, in an era of brittle and power-sucking pocket computers, they kind of are.

HMD and Heineken are only making limited numbers of The Boring Phone, so don’t expect to be able to simply order one online or walk into a shop and buy one. Its first public appearance will be at Milan Design Week on April 18 (that’s tomorrow), with future appearances yet to be announced.

No pricing or wider availability information has been revealed as yet, but you can register your interest on the Heineken website. Do bear in mind that HMD’s Nokia flip phones retail for well under £100 and are freely available now, if the idea of such an offline phone really appeals to you.