The anti-smartphone: Commodore releases a digital-detox flip phone
The company says it's not a smartphone, but it's not a dumb phone either. What is it then? Everything you need, nothing you don't, according to the website.
The ultimate digital detox phone is here, but would anyone buy it? | Image by Commodore
Is your smartphone weighing down on you? Not in a literal sense, but mentally? One legendary brand has a solution. Commodore — one of the first computer companies — just announced a new flip phone that's aimed to cure your doomscroll addiction and keep you safe from prying eyes. Meet the Commodore Callback 8020!
The Callback 8020 — between smart and dumb
The Callback 8020 looks cool, but does it look $500 cool? | Image by Commodore
The Callback 8020 sits right between a feature phone, sometimes also called a dumb phone, and the most basic smartphones.
The company calls this model "the not dumb dumbphone." According to the promotional materials on the official Commodore webpage, the Callback 8020 "does everything you want, nothing you don't."
The digital detox part includes the lack of social media apps and work apps, such as Instagram, Facebook, Slack, Teams, etc. The Callback 8020 has no AI baked in and also no email client.
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What would make you buy a digital-detox, dumb phone?
On the "not-so-dumb" side, there's a bunch of "friendly" apps like Maps, Spotify, WhatsApp, Uber, a QR code scanner, and some mindful games. The phone runs Sailfish OS (which is Linux-based and allows you to install supported Android apps if the list above seems too restrictive).
More specs and features
The Callback 8020 in a nutshell. | Image by Commodore
The Callback 8020 is marketed as a privacy-oriented detox phone, so specs aren't a huge focus. We needed to dig deeper to actually find all of them.
The phone uses a MediaTek Helio G81 chipset; it has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which is expandable by a microSD card (there's a 32GB card included with the phone). The main camera uses a 48-megapixel Sony and a cool retro camcorder mode.
Three years ago, about to become a father, I had an honest conversation with myself and realised I, like so many of us, was addicted to my phone. And that was the business model. So I switched to an Android flip phone, learning what worked, what didn’t, and what people wanted. When I shared my findings with a rapidly growing community, the response was overwhelming.
- Peri Fractic, President & CEO of Commodore
Commodore says the camera is actually good, so you can snap some decent photos even though the phone is technically not a smartphone. There's also a headphone jack, and the phone ships with HQ IEM earphones, so you can take advantage of the audiophile-grade DAC chip inside.
Being a flip phone, the Callback 8020 has two screens, albeit quite modest ones. The cover screen is a 1.77-inch monochrome display, while the main one is a 3.25-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 480×640 pixels.
There's a removable 1,550 mAh battery, a dome light notification system, colorful snap-on back panels, and, according to Commodore, the hinge can withstand 200,000 cycles.
Price and availability
If you want to try the Callback 8020, you need to join a waitlist. The device will be available later this year (Q4 is the target) in five different colors.
There are three basic options — BASIC Beige, ProtoPET White, and SX Silver — which start at $500.
You can get a translucent Starlight Edition for $550, as well as a premium take on the model called Founders Edition with a PVD gold finish and a 24K gold-plated Commodore button. This one will set you back $640.
Do we need another dumb phone pretending not to be dumb?
The digital detox movement is not new. For more than a decade people have been vocal about the toll that smartphones take on your mental health.
However, feature phones have existed basically forever, and launching yet another one probably won't change much.
Callback was born from that journey, and from my team asking two simple questions: what is the perfect middle ground between dumb and smart, and what should a Commodore phone be today? Turns out, the answer to both questions was the same.
- Peri Fractic, President & CEO of Commodore
The Callback 8020 looks cool and all, but the $500 price tag is eye-watering. There are other options that can run basic messaging apps, music apps, and even maps for a fraction of the price.
What do you think? Is the Callback 8020 a money grab based on nostalgia, or is there something special about this particular "not dumb" dumb phone?
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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