Following the success of its wonderful Commodore 64 Ultimate microcomputer remake, you'd perhaps expect the revived tech giant to make a fancy new FPGA Amiga. However, two weeks ago, CEO Christian Simpson (AKA YouTuber Peri Fractic) declared that the company can't "survive solely on nostalgia," which has somehow led today to the announcement of a flip phone that reeks of the 2000s.
That's right, the next big Commodore International release is the Callback 8020. As I've already spoiled, it's a flip phone. It also uses physical numerical keys instead of a touchscreen. You know, like a flip phone? I know for a fact I'll have already lost my younger readers who arrived on Earth just in time for the iPhone, but stick with me, as this phone isn't just for old-school calls and texts.
Described by Simpson as “the not dumb dumbphone”, the Callback 8020 will still provide you access to apps like WhatsApp, Spotify, and Google Maps. In that sense, it isn't like an off-grid burner, but rather than using Android, it'll come armed with Sailfish OS, an alternative Linux-based platform with 99% compatibility founded by employees formerly at Nokia.
Two things the Commodore Callback 8020 is ready to outright reject, though, are both social media and browser-based Internet surfing. Those apps will be blocked "using patent-pending technology, eliminating temptation and designed with distraction-free schools in mind." That latter pitch feels like it deliberately lines up with the UK Government's announcement to ban social media for under-16s, but at the same time, it makes a tech statement on the blights of doomscrolling and having our data harvested by various parties while doing so.
Commenting on the announcement, Christian Simpson admits, "I was addicted to my smartphone. Switching to a dumbphone three years ago changed my life. I'm more present. I enjoy looking at the world around me. I don’t reach for my phone every few minutes. And my two-year-old daughter doesn’t see me staring at something she doesn’t understand for half of the day."
I can certainly relate to being on my phone "too much", but disconnecting completely is a no-no when you're, say, an editor at a prominent games website like me or a YouTuber-cum-CEO of like Mr Fractic.
"The minimal phones I tried were too minimal," says Simpson, "and so at Commodore we set out to create 'the not dumb dumbphone'”. The Commodore Callback is the phone I wished had existed when I started my journey, and the one we now want to put in the hands of everyone who's ready to escape the doomscrolling and distractions, with a speed bump for the mind."
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It's easy to focus on what the opposite of a gaming phone lacks. However, the Commodore Callback 8020 boasts an entire charcuterie board of solid offline perks, including a 48MP Sony camera, an audiophile-grade DAC that'll hook you up with lossless audio, and some earbuds in the box. You're also getting a 2000s-era-appropriate VFD-style screen on the front of the clamshell that'll display the time, and my favorite touch? The 1,550mAh battery is removable. Boom.
While there isn't much tying the Callback 8020 to Commodore's hardware roots, it does come in both C64 beige, white, silver, and transparent flavors. The latter even has the same twinkly vibes as the Ultimate Starlight Edition thanks to five dome LEDs. There's also a 24-karat gold "Founder's Edition" if that's your jam, although I almost feel like making this gizmo ultra lavish spoils its lo-fi lives.
The part that will potentially crash your dreams of the AI-powered, doomscroller haunting your pocket is the Callback 8020's price. It'll be available to pre-order from June 30 for $499, which feels steep for a device with a MediaTek Helio G81 entry-level chipset often used in retro handhelds. At the same time, you're talking about a boutique device not made by monoliths like Samsung, Google, or Apple that's built nothing like a smartphone, so it's perhaps a small investment for what is an escape from the chaotic ecosystem that's been built around us.
Looking to revisit classic systems? Swing by the best retro consoles for remakes and emulation devices that will run your old games.
