Imagine a phone that doesn’t buzz, doesn’t ping, and doesn’t tempt you with endless notifications during a social gathering. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, dream no more! Dutch brewing company Heineken and streetwear retailer Bodega have teamed up with mobile innovator Human Mobile Devices (HMD) to create The Boring Phone, a revolutionary device designed to break free from the digital shackles and bring the focus back to real-life connections.
What is The Boring Phone?
Manufactured by Europe’s largest smartphone maker, HMD, the Heineken x Bodega Boring Phone strips back the distractions of today’s smartphones. Designed to deliver the basics needed for a great night out, the flip phone’s primary function is to send and receive calls and text messages. With modern-day frills removed, the phone doesn’t connect to the Internet, preventing users from downloading social media or other apps that take away from being present.
What does The Boring Phone look like?
Reminiscent of mobile phones of the early 2000s, The Boring Phone has a transparent casing with holographic stickers that draw inspiration from Gen Z’s love of Newtro fashion and design.
How long is the battery life of The Boring Phone?
The Boring Phone has a handy week of standby time and up to 20 hours of talk time.
What are the technical specs of The Boring Phone?
| Dimensions | 108 x 55 x 18.9mm, 123g |
| Displays | Internal: 2.8” QVGA | External: 1.77″ QQVGA |
| Camera | 0.3MP + LED flash |
| Design | Ergonomic flip phone with DualSIM |
| Audio | FM radio (wired/wireless) |
| Connectivity | 2G, 3G, 4G | Bluetooth 4.2 | 3.5mm AV jack | Micro USB |
| Battery | 1,450mAh (removable)
Up to 6 hrs 3G/4G networks talk time. Up to 20hrs talk time in 2G networks | Over a week of standby time |
| Storage | Internal: 128MB | MicroSD slot up to 32GB |
| Charging | Micro USB |
What is the inspiration behind The Boring Phone?
With an aim to show people that there is more to their social life when there is less on their phone, Heineken and Bodega decided to partner up to bring The Boring Phone to life.
Heineken commissioned a survey of 4,000 Gen Z and Millennial smartphone users of legal drinking age (2,000 in the United Kingdom and 2,000 in the United States), and based on the results of the research conducted by OnePoll in March 2024, 90% of the Zillennials respondents confessed to doom scrolling while socializing with friends and family; checking their devices seven times each night out on average.
Two-thirds of them admitted to checking social media (62%) when hanging out with others, while over a third (36%) confessed to checking work emails. Three in ten (30%) also revealed they sneakily play games instead of engaging with their family and friends in the moment.
While a third (37%) of the respondents felt that they check their phones more often than they should during social gatherings, the tide is beginning to turn with 32% admitting they would like to be able to switch off from their phones while on a night out.
“We could all do with a break from the constant distractions of smart tech; something our research has shown is even more important to our Gen Z and Millennial consumers. When we spoke to them about their smartphone usage, we quickly realized that many feel they are habitually distracted when socializing by their device but also admit they didn’t want to go completely phone-free,” Nabil Nasser, the Global Head of Heineken, said in a statement. “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.”
Oliver Mak, co-founder of Bodega added, “At Bodega, we see ourselves as a vehicle for connecting culture and young people, so when Heineken approached us to collaborate on a project designed to do exactly this, we were excited to get involved. Despite having grown up surrounded by technology, us Gen Z and Millennials are now recognizing that our dependence on our phones is impacting our ability to make actual, real-life connections. This in turn impacts our ability to have fun, and on a macro level, the development of culture.”
When will The Boring Phone be available?
The Boring Phone will officially launch at Milan Design Week on Thursday, April 18, 2024, with a party hosted by Heineken and Bodega. After this, limited number of The Boring Phone will be given away to the public around the world.
Those who don’t manage to get their hands on a physical device, they can still experience The Boring Phone starting this June through an app that will turn smartphones boring.
To learn more about this phone, you can visit Heineken’s official page for The Boring Phone.