Phone addiction has reached a point where doomscrolling is affecting our cognitive intelligence and already, dumbphones are trying to address this global problem. More often than not, these devices work for a while, eventually triggering the user to ditch them and get back to old ways.
Commodore, resurrected by YouTuber Peri Fractic (a.k.a. Christian Simpson), brought back the 1982 Commodore 64 keyboard, and the brand looks strong to capture a very niche segment of the nerdy market. Now, under his leadership, there’s yet another gadget that originates from the firsthand experience of the man himself. He made the shift to a dumbphone years ago but found a problem, as these devices took away more functionality than desired. This prompted him to create a “not dumb dumbphone.”
Designer: Commodore
The retro-futuristic vibe of the Commodore Callback 8020 flip phone is inspired by the Y2K era of the early 2000s, and the functionality culminating from his own experience. This phone is created to let the technology serve its original intended purpose, that is to serve the users and not compete for their attention 24×7. Designed in collaboration with Finnish company Jolla (venture by former Nokia employees), the smartphone runs a custom version of Sailfish OS (Linux-based platform), which has been in development for over a decade as a viable alternative to Android and iOS. The custom OS can sideload 99 percent of Android apps like WhatsApp, Spotify, Google Maps, QR Code Scanner, and more.
Callback 8020 is designed with easy modularity in mind, as the user can swap the 1,550 mAh battery or swap out covers. It’ll come with a 3.25-inch (480×640 resolution) main display and a 1.77-inch smaller display on the rear with a red glow, which is inspired by the classic Commodore calculators of the 70s. The device will be powered by the MediaTek Helio G81 SoC and paired with 4GB RAM. Since there’s not going to be a lot of multimedia being stored on the phone, the 64GB internal storage expandable via the included 32GB microSD card should suffice; however, the space can be beefed up to 256GB if desired.
For music lovers, the phone has FM radio, an audiophile-grade DAC, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a pair of in-ear IEMs. You can listen to pre-loaded albums from artists like LukHash and Anders Enger Jensen to enjoy music out of the box. To get the nostalgic feel going, the device has chiptunes with a full 8-Bit SID music player and SID ringtones. Just that you don’t get bogged down in your free time, and accidentally make the shift back to a normal smartphone to doomscroll, the phone has a collection of Commodore 64 games, which are curated to avoid the addictive nature of modern games. To avoid any distracting notifications on the screen, the phone comes with a dome LED notification system. For times when you need to take pictures, the flip phone has a 48MP rear camera with flash and a selfie camera with autofocus when flipped open.
Commodore Callback 8020 flip phone is slated for June 30 release, when you can pre-order it in five color options: ProtoPET White, SX Silver, BASIC Beige, Starlight Edition, and Founders Edition. The first three colorways will come for $499.99, while the translucent Starlight Edition will set you back $549.99. The flagship (if I can call it that) PVD gold Founders Edition, having a 24K gold-plated “C=” button, will be priced at $640. Shipping, however, will take a little longer, scheduled for the fourth quarter of the year. People who join the waitlist will get a $50 discount on the smartphone.
