A minimal closed clamshell display shows time and battery status, and a color LED system can be used for notifications. Opening the device, you have a 3.25-inch IPS screen with 480 x 640 pixels, a selfie camera, and a pretty ordinary-looking T9 keypad with a Commodore button.
Around the back, there’s a 48MP Sony camera with flash. The back cover is removable to swap batteries, swap the aforementioned microSD card , and access the Dual-SIM slots. Commodore is also marketing cases it calls Snapback packs, the Hardback case, and even a Backpack holster.
Finally, we are glad to hear the Callback 8020 “Ships with a modest selection of classic and modern, mindful Commodore 64 games . And with Nokia heritage, Snake of course.”
The Commodore Callback 8020 will be available in five colorways: ProtoPET White, SX Silver, BASIC Beige, Starlight Edition, and a (gold) Founders Edition. Pricing starts at $499, but there is $50 off for those joining the waitlist. Pre-orders begin at the end of this month.
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Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason. ","collapsible":{"enabled":true,"maxHeight":250,"readMoreText":"Read more","readLessText":"Read less"}}), "https://slice.vanilla.futurecdn.net/13-4-24/js/authorBio.js"); } else { console.error('%c FTE ','background: #9306F9; color: #ffffff','no lazy slice hydration function available'); } Mark Tyson Social Links Navigation News Editor Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
Jabberwocky79 Love it. Want it. But then I remembered that I'm not, in fact, addicted to social media, therefore I wouldn't be getting any great benefit out of the phone while experiencing all its drawbacks. But I can totally see this being a great option for my aging parents, who struggle with operating their smart phones on a daily basis. Reply
habermas Considering that the phone is based off of Nokia's old smartphone operating system I find it's a pity that they didn't go for an elegant European retro-design such as the Nokia 8850 or the Ericsson T28s compared to this ugly, clunky Motorola StarTAC-lookalike. I guess it's aimed for the American market, which seems to have a taste for unironic PT cruiser-like designs. Reply
Gururu I love all these new "dumb" phones but the prices really boggle my mind. Sporting my $30 flipper, I probably wouldn't even look at these others unless they were <$150. Reply
Arkitekt78 This is a start. Been waiting for something like this… simplified, but not too simple. Needs a good camera and phone apps, in a not-too-small flip phone form factor. Interested to see how this does. Reply
TerryLaze Holy moly, twice the price of the c64 ultimate?????? Based on the helios g81… I guess that's the price of having to do a small run with custom parts. Reply
usertests Linux-based clamshell phone with “no social media, no browser* + no work or email apps.” I await the tearful Reddit post from a social media addict sideloading a browser. Gururu said: I love all these new "dumb" phones but the prices really boggle my mind. Sporting my $30 flipper, I probably wouldn't even look at these others unless they were <$150. It needs these specs to run a full Linux installation and more complicated Android apps, although you can obviously find normal phones of this caliber far cheaper than $500: At the heart of the Callback is a MediaTek Helio G81 SoC, with 4GB/64GB on board. A 32GB microSD card is included to get you started, too. I guess it's not a white-label product. What's happening with "dumb"/flip phones these days? Are they running KaiOS with 1-2 GB of RAM? Reply
Findecanor Good nuanced article. This is a smartphone in a flip-phone form factor, with restricted app access — not a rebranded cheap dumbphone. Commodore is going to start its own app store — with regular Android apps, but only those that they have approved: no addictive apps, and no social media. I suspect that a chunk of the sales price is going to running that app store, because you can't charge for free apps. It is also using Sailfish OS, not Google's Android, BTW. It is also capable of running C64 games. I think that Commodore should have communicated this a little better from the start instead of making the big reveal be just another teaser video that was low on details. Now, the forums are full of ridicule for Commodore about the price. I also think that they should have designed the phone to be a little more cassette-futuristic, reminiscent of vintage Commodore products, for branding purposes. This doesn't really feel as much as a Commodore product to me. Another small mistake was that they named one colour variant "PET", which is the same name that the Italian Commodore had used for a rebranded cheap smartphone — and therefore set up for confusion. Reply
NightForce Oh so close but no cigar. I have to visit a secure building occasionally where cameras of any kind are absolutely forbidden. Smartphones that have ever had a camera are banned even if the camera has been removed. The result is that everybody has to leave their phones in their car or some other creative place outside the facility. Anyone dumb enough to risk it faces armed guards and metal detectors and inherent permission to inspect anyone and anything at any time. They do not play. So there is a tiny but huge demand for a capable smartphone that does not have a camera. Has never had a camera. Cannot have a camera added. Etc. Nobody I know of makes such a device. Some have suggested getting an OEM in China to make a suitable phone but devices made in China would not be welcome there, let's say. It would be a quick way to get fired and marched out the door. This phone has promise up until the article mentioned it has a selfie camera for the social media is doesn't support. I don't understand that. Shrug. Reply
ezst036 This flip phone seems like an anti-pattern to me. I would not want to lose the web browser and advanced functionalities. I only want to ditch Google's all-seeing prying eye upon my data: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d0/9c/b5/d09cb541058dd352d1e9228cdb81c8a5.jpg Reply
nookoool This gives me a "trump phone" gimmick vibe. Just trying to milk some retro fans. Nothing of that era had anything to do with mobile devices. Selling a C64C or C123 case with modern chip and windows/linux would of been more exciting Reply
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Reference reading
- https://www.tomshardware.com/phones/SPONSORED_LINK_URL
- https://www.tomshardware.com/phones/commodore-announces-linux-based-flip-phone-with-no-social-media-no-browser-the-callback-8020-will-be-available-in-five-retro-colorways-starting-at-usd499-runs-99-percent-of-android-apps#main
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