Heineken launched ‘The Boring Phone’ but here’s why you can’t buy it

What happens when Heineken, a beer company joins hands with Human Mobile Devices (HMD) and Bodega, a Boston-based creative firm? You get what they now call ‘The Boring Phone’.

The experiment, which is a nostalgic marketing stunt, birthed a translucent, flip phone that essentially does… nothing. No, you didn’t read wrong. Not only does the ‘dumb’ phone have its own set of specs, but the brand is also planning to produce 5,000 of these limited-edition units. The catch? You can’t buy them.

What is 'The Boring Phone'?

The Boring Phone will remind you of a traditional Nokia flip phone; however, like the Nothing Phone, it is made completely transparent. But that counts as the only similarity between the two, as this phone is built to do absolutely nothing. Want to get onto a riveting Call of Duty session with your friends? The Boring Phone is not for you. It instead wants you to spend time playing the iconic Snake by Nokia on its 2.8-inch QVGA display.

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In the dying age of headphone jacks, The Boring Phone also sports a 3.5mm audio input. The device also has a 0.3MP camera to capture blurry pictures of a fun night out. And, if that’s not all, you can also call or text your loved ones using 2G, 3G and 4G network connectivity. Lastly, it can certainly survive a drop and has features like speed dial and 3D stickers.

But, why can't you purchase 'The Boring Phone'?

The phone will be unveiled at the Milan Design Week on April 18 and the concept behind it is rather simple – leave your smartphone behind and bring The Boring Phone with you for when you want to socialise with your friends. It also called out the idea of ‘doom scrolling’ and the possibility of opening apps, such as Instagram or TikTok for videos.

That said, HMD and Heineken don’t want you to purchase it and instead will be handing out the handset via various giveaways and social media contests. For now, the exercise will take place in Italy but will slowly move on to the UK and other countries after the roll-out.