Dutch beer brand Heineken and US clothing company Bodega have launched The Boring Phone at Milan design week, a “dumb” phone designed to prevent young adults from scrolling on smartphones.
Produced by Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Human Mobile Devices (HMD), which manufactures Nokia phones, The Boring Phone has been stripped of the “distractions” seen in today’s smartphones and is used primarily for phone calls and text messages.
Most notable feature is the absence of internet access and social media, which was intended to encourage young adults to “disconnect with their tech” and have social interactions in person rather than scrolling on smartphones.
Reminiscent of the mobile phone technology available in the early 2000s, the flip phone has a transparent casing that users can cover in holographic stickers and a monochromatic sub-screen displaying two Heineken beer bottles.
Its design was informed by Newtro culture, retro aesthetics interpreted in a modern context, aiming to appeal to a Gen Z and Millennial audience.
In keeping with its old-school design, the phone has a long battery life of a week in standby time. It also has a 0.3-megapixel camera, FM radio and a snake game.
“Smartphones can be too interesting, so we wanted to design a boring one,” said Bodega co-founder Oliver Mak.
“We were really inspired by the rise of Newtro and wanted to reinterpret a past cultural icon that some younger Zillennials may not have experienced before.”
By limiting the phone’s technology, Heineken and Bodega hope young adults will be encouraged to make more meaningful social connections without being distracted by the pull of social media.
“With smartphones becoming so advanced and interesting to the user, it’s easier than ever to connect to the online world but harder to stay in the moment,” said the brands.
“With modern-day frills removed, the phone is unable to download social media or other apps that take away from being present.”
The Boring Phone concept resulted from research commissioned by Heineken on smartphone use among Gen Z and Millennials in the UK and US.
According to the brand, 90 per cent of those in the study admitted to “doom scrolling” in social scenarios and checked their phones an average of seven times on a night out.
Heineken claims that attitudes towards mobile phone use are changing. Its research found that 37 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials claim they think they check their phones too often in social situations, and 32 per cent said they would prefer to be able to “switch off” from their phones on nights out.
While HMD has produced just 5,000 Boring Phones, none of which are available for purchase, an app will be launched in June that will turn smartphones “boring” to help people disconnect from their technology.
Also informed by phone of the past, US start-up Clicks Technology recently unveiled a keyboard attachment for iPhones, which features raised buttons reminiscent of Blackberry phones in the early 2000s.
In other mobile phone news, Nokia partnered with repair specialists iFixit to create a smartphone with a DIY repair kit, aiming to make it easier for people to fix their phones themselves.
