The Barbie Phone, much like the doll it pays tribute to, is a thing of beauty. But like that doll whose proportions, historically, are impossible, the Barbie Phone just isnt built for the modern world.Even if the ultra-feminine aesthetic isnt your thing and its not really mine you have to hand it to the Barbie flip phone. From the box it comes in, to the interchangeable back plates, rhinestone stickers, and Barbie-fied interface, its a delight. The charger and battery are both pink, though theyre a lighter shade than Mattels trademarked Barbie Pink (Pantone 219). The phone says Hi Barbie! when you turn it on. Its the definition of committing to the bit.HMD Barbie Phone$100$13023% off$100$100$13023% offThe Barbie Phone is based on one of HMDs feature phones, so its limited to basic connectivity like calling, texting, email, and a rudimentary web browser. Its a fun collectors item, but ultimately frustrating to use in daily life.$130 at HMD$100 at AmazonThe breezy fun of the Barbie aesthetic, Pantone 219 or otherwise, is at odds with the actual experience of using the phone. Its based on one of HMDs feature phones, and it runs an operating system called KaiOS. The phone is designed for basic connectivity texting, calling, emails and even includes a web browser.According to HMD, in addition to being cute,You gotta hand it to HMD, the Barbie Phone commits to the bit.No need to give up the smartphone entirely, reads Barbie Tip 1. Find a balance between your smartphone and your Barbie Phone. Barbie Tip 6 is titled DreamHouse Rule and encourages you to Make tech-free zones in your own DreamHouse. More room for fun! Incidentally, Mattel says it sells a Barbie DreamHouse every two minutes. The DreamHouse retails for $199.99; the Barbie Phone is $129.99.The idea of popping my SIM card in the Barbie phone and running away for a weekend of digital detoxing with my besties sounds great. The reality isnt so easy. Have you ever tried to enter your Google account password with an alphanumeric keypad? Do you know how to find the curly brackets in T9? I have and I do, thanks to the Barbie Phone, and I dont wish that on anyone. Typing out messages with predictive text is more tedious than I remember; if I used this phone regularly, Id probably call people a lot more.If I used this phone regularly, Id probably call people a lot more.Aside from texting, some of the features of this feature phone just didnt work properly for me. I successfully synced my Google calendar, but my appointments appear on the wrong days for reasons I cant discern. I couldnt get the FM radio app to recognize the wired earbuds I plugged into the 3.5mm jack. The web browser is painfully slow and refuses to render The Verge in any usable form, though I realize I am probably the only person who would attempt to read The Verge on the Barbie Phone. The delight I felt when I first unboxed the Barbie Phone was definitely fading. Even the front of the phone, which is mostly covered by a mirror, looked a lot less charming covered in my own fingerprints and smudges. And I guess having a mirror on the front of your phone is cute, because you can frame up your selfies and check your teeth for pieces of kale. Maybe Barbie wants to see her own face every time she checks a notification but I sure do not. Photo: Allison Johnson / The VergeBut you know when its not cute? Having to look at your own face every time you check for a notification. This is a kind of existential dilemma that Barbie doesnt have to endure, because Barbies makeup is pre-applied and shes perpetually twenty twoRelatedBarbies world is a dream. Unfortunately, the world in which the Barbie Phone lets me escape the drudgery of modern connectivity also seems to be a dream. Sure, it let me take a little vacation from my smartphone and still text my friends. But mostly, it just replaced the annoyances of using an ultra-connected device with different annoyances. Someone more committed to using T9 could probably have an enjoyable time with the Barbie Phone. Otherwise, this is just a neat collectible item; something to take out of the box and play with for a while, but ultimately leave in a drawer. Kind of like a doll. Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge