Expectations are that 2025 is going to be a turning point year for tech and consumers. For many, there’s been enough talk about our hapless addiction to our phones. Young generations have first-hand experience of the modern loneliness crisis, mindlessly prioritising followers over making real friends. And everyone has a tale to tell of the damage done when we blindly follow cynical algorithms down toxic rabbit holes.
The pursuit of better digital health is escalating change – from countries and communities to consumers. There are new bans on children signing up on social media platforms in Australia, while many South African schools have started the year with rules that ban smartphones as soon as learners arrive for the school day. On an individual level, consumers are making some strikingly different choices in their everyday lives.
A case in point is the recent success of Human Mobile Devices’ (HMD’s) launch of the HMD Barbie Phone at the end of last year. According to Martiens Prinsloo, general manager of HMD Southern Africa, “There was a 57% sell-out in the first two weeks, and consumer interest was so high that the South African operator, Vodacom, placed an additional order even before the first shipment landed in the country.”
He points out that it wasn’t just the allure of HMD’s partnership with the highly popular Mattel brand: “Yes, it’s a super-cute phone, but consumers want more than just an aesthetic device. Retro-style phones like our HMD Barbie™ Phone are popular because they give you a vacation from your smartphone, and young people have growing concerns about the impact of 24/7 social media fixation on their real relationships, moods and sleep. They are increasingly prioritising their mental health and looking for ways that their devices support their important life goals. They are interested in finding ways to disconnect digitally so that they can be meaningfully connected in the real world. They want their devices to help them – not trap them in self-defeating cycles of anxiety, low self-esteem and loneliness.”
How digital health concerns can reshape device design
Of course, most consumers would prefer that their smartphones got smarter about digital health rather than take up a minimalist phone as a long-term solution for their digital overwhelm. For HMD, which has been the exclusive provider of Nokia branded phones in South Africa since 2017, this is a consumer concern that will be shaping their new HMD branded range launching in the country this year.
Prinsloo says, “HMD is at the forefront of these design challenges with our Better Phone Project that invites users to engage with us in the co-creation of designs for future device models and their built-in modes. As we expand our HMD brand presence in the country, this gives South African young people and parents opportunities to help shape our team’s design thinking to address their pressing concerns and to meet their aspirations for living well.
“Our purpose is right in our name – Human Mobile Devices – human comes first, and the tech is deeply in service. Devices are not supposed to be overlords or manipulators or drivers of addictive and other unhealthy behaviours. Human well-being should not be a struggle against the devices we use – it should be facilitated, even enhanced, by those devices. In practical terms, that means that if a digital detox is what you need, then your mobile device should make that so easy for you to accomplish, such as switching on the Detox mode. This is a fundamental change in mobile device design thinking for this modern era. It’s a shift from looking for ways to mitigate harm, such as through parental controls, to proactively building in human well-being.”
This focus on human well-being includes issues of sustainability, and HMD takes a different stance on the typical built-in obsolescence of mobile devices. Prinsloo says, “Affordability and durability has always been a focus for our brand.”
Going forward, what can South Africa expect from HMD?
This year, HMD will be launching two new devices in South Africa that come with two years of security updates to ensure the consumer’s data is safe. HMD Key is already in-store and at a R1,299 price point, aiming to meet the needs of everyday South Africans with essential photography modes and performance-boosting virtual memory. Following soon in the same entry-level category will be the launch of HMD Arc, which will retail at R1,499 and offer enhanced battery and camera performance as well as fingerprint access.
HMD’s commitment to South Africa includes the brand’s global priorities:
Caring for the planet – In 2025, HMD Global maintained its EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating for the third year running, placing us in the top 1% of the companies assessed. Prinsloo says, “Globally, we have launched devices that are designed with repairability and eco-friendliness at its core, and we will be bringing those to South Africa in the future.
Championing mental health and digital well-being – Through initiatives like the Better Phone Project and the partnership with Xplora, HMD aims to help families navigate the digital world safely. “From the Boring Phone with Heineken to the HMD Barbie™ Phone with Mattel and the Nokia 3210, we’re redefining what it means to take a break from digital distractions. And of course, our HMD original smartphones come with Detox mode,” says Prinsloo.
Driving innovation – HMD is an established leader when it comes to Gen 2 Repairability, making it easy for consumers to have repairs conducted in a much shorter time frame at authorised service centres. In addition, bold partnerships like the HMD Sony Venom collaboration and ongoing work with FC Barcelona show that the company is always pushing boundaries.
Prinsloo concludes, “Our focus is on leaning into what people truly need, creating technology for good and staying committed to people and the planet.”
