Heineken partners with HMD for The Boring Phone that won’t distract you from real life

Heineken has partnered with HMD to create The Boring Phone – a device that has deliberately reduced capabilities so users can enjoy their social lives even more.

This new product, which has a transparent casing and holographic stickers, is designed to keep people in the moment and enjoy the company around them rather than looking at their phone.

The device is produced by Human Mobile Devices HMD in partnership with iconic beer brand Heineken and US retailer Bodega.

The Boring Phone has been produced at a time when people are looking to unplug and enjoy their real life connections on nights out.

The device is a basic flip phone with dual SIM and 4G connectivity. It’s a call back to the mobile phones we used at the turn of the century.

The phone cannot download social media or any other apps that can take you away from what you were doing.

It offers just talk and text like a phone from the early 2000s.

“Early in 2023, we spotted something cool with Gen Z in the US. They started cutting down their screen time to feel better mentally, swapping their smartphones for simpler phones,” Lars Silberbauer, CMO of Human Mobile Devices (HMD), Europe’s leading mobile innovator and manufacturer says.

“As big fans of unplugging from the digital buzz, we’re super excited about launching The Boring Phone with Heineken and Bodega.

“It’s definitely going to get people talking when they’re out and about.”

Research Commission by Heineken has revealed 90 per cent of Gen Z and Millennials across the UK and the US admit to doom scrolling while they are with their friends and family. They check their devices seven times each night out on average.

The biggest distractions according to this study is checking social media (62 per cent) while they’re out with others with 36 per cent admitting to checking work emails during social situations.

And three in 10 (30 per cent) even admit to playing games on their smartphone instead of mixing with family and friends in the moment.

But the tide is turning with 32 per cent saying they would like to be able to switch off from their phones while they’re on a night out.

And one in five (22 per cent) said they already turn their phone off or leave it at home ahead of social events while a further two in five (38 per cent) said they would consider doing this.

“We could all do with a break from the constant distractions of smart tech,” says Nabil Nasser, the Global Head of Heineken.

“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 realised that many feel they are habitually distracted when socialising by their device but also admit they didn’t want to go completely phone-free.

“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 dialled down the tech to help people truly connect over a beer, without any distraction from the constant buzzing and dings.”

Heineken and Bodega decided on this partnership to demonstrate there is more to social life when there is less on their phone.

“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,” says Oliver Mak, co-founder of Bodega.

“Despite having grown up surrounded by technology, us Gen Z and Millennials are now recognising 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.”

About the Boring Phone