Announced a short time ago, the Callback 8020 is seen as a means of combating the addictive lure of the modern-day smartphone. While it supports Android apps via its SailfishOS, it disables features like web browsing and social media by default.
However, despite the noble quest for a ‘digital detox’, the phone met with a somewhat frosty reception online (no pun intended), with many comparing it to an elderly relative’s flip phone. In our poll, 70 percent of you said you wouldn’t be buying one.
You can’t claim privacy first, promise you wont sell user data, then preinstall whatsapp.
These three things cannot all be true. At any price.I want one, but I don’t think they’re going to get the pricing near anywhere where it becomes a reality.
That said, I’m really happy that this product has at least started a conversation. I would 100% prefer a dumb flip phone than the advertising machine in my pocket. There is a suggestion of a market; we’ll see if the industry is too far up their own ass to respond.
Sadly I don’t think the revamped Commodore will have the clout to pull it off.
“We worked tirelessly to lower the price…and by subtracting 100 we managed it goddammit”
I’m still on the fence about it but the price drop does move the needle a little. I’m still going to wait to make a decision until it comes out then give it a couple of months.
I work in product management, this was not a marketing ploy.
Supplies are expensive now. They are cutting into their margin considerably and probably did find some slightly cheaper components. Maybe they cut a better deal with the suppliers.
Either way, they are playing smart by listening to the market on an untested product in a new product category of “semi-smart” phones. This could signal a comeback of this type of product but only if they pave the way with affordability and usability.
I hope this does succeed for them because we need more companies taking risks in today’s market. Everything is so bland right now.
its not smart phone, but not dumb, so what, is it an average joe phone?
I’m more concerned about the dictatorial-feeling attitudes in the marketing than I am about the price. I’m all for a privacy respecting phone, but an even higher priority than that is respecting me and my choices. Blocking me from social media doesn’t feel like it’s catering to me, it feels like its nannying me and dictating my choices to me. That’s not something I’m interested in at any price.
I realize that I will, in reality, be able to choose whether to leave those blocked, but having them blocked by default feels just as aggressively judgemental and disrespectful as preinstalling them and shoving them in my face like most existing brands do. It’s not your place to tell me what apps to use or not to use. Give me a fucking blank slate, and let me decide, thankyouverymuch.
That’s what I thought, that keyboard means almost no messaging; I get the ‘no social’ vibe, but this way looks like there’s no middle ground between “grandma and her SMS” and “glued to the screen 20hrs/day”.
$500 USD -> $400 USD for those of you that don’t want to click.
“Consumers can now choose whether to add Commodore’s custom-designed Hi-Def IEM earphones during checkout, rather than needing to pay for them when they may already own a pair they love. Premium memory will be available as an option, with Callback defaulting to rigorously stress-tested “post-consumer” high-speed memory chips, backed by Commodore’s identical, comprehensive 1-Year warranty.”
so… to lower the retail by $100… earbuds not included, and reclaimed ewaste memory chips (hopefully that does not also include the main storage) now the default configuration.
Phones cheaper than USD$400 tend to have 6-8year old chipsets, so imo if they’ve beaten that, they’ve probably done well against the current market. By my standards a posture dumbphone should be cheaper, but it’s obviously marketing to a different demographic than e.g. Oneplus Nord and the now-dead iPhone SE. At the very least it might be a cool museum piece
Ok just $350 more to reduce
🙏
Doing the Lord’s work sir
What the heck‽ Is it gold-plated‽
Phone? No. But the CEO’s yacht is.
As far as I remember comodore is owned by youtuber
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/commodores-been-bought-by-a-youtuber-whos-re-assembling-key-execs-and-already-teasing-new-hardware/Amusingly, Commodore’s statement says the [high prices were] triggered by an “explosion of new technologies” but stops short of specifying exactly what those technologies were. That perhaps shouldn’t be surprising given Simpson’s love of GenAI and its use in Commodore’s promotional material thus far, but it’s somewhat ironic that one of the reasons for the high price is, in Commodore’s case, self-inflicted to a degree.)
I’m starting to dislike this CEO
The other big question, even though Simpson goes into some detail on this, is how the deal is going to be financed. A share purchase agreement is in place for those “low seven figures,” Simpson says he’s re-mortgaged to get this far, and adds that “household names who don’t want to be named” are interested before name-dropping Elon Musk (whose computing career began on a Commodore). They’re looking for angel investors, but there’s no indication of the timeframe on any deal.
So it’s basically owned by musk, got it
He wouldn’t be the first person begging Elon Musk for attention, though. Anybody remember Elon Goat Token?
Even if he doesn’t secure Elon as an investor, the simping does not look good.
“oh no, leopards ate my face!”
Translation: We couldn’t really sell it for that price, now we try it with this price.
(Edit: This is no mockery, only of the marketing. The phone is nice)
More tempting now anyway. I assume with SailfishOS you can add a web browser.
That’s more like it!
And I completely disagree with the people saying it should be much cheaper.
It’s a LTE Linux computer. In 2026. With multiple screens, a 48MP camera, good DAC, enough power to run real Android apps and tons of bells and whistles; what do you expect?
Electronics are expensive, unless it’s cheap garbage, heavily subsidized, or both. That has a huge externalized cost, and avoiding that is the whole point of this phone. R&D, customer service, and continued software support for the translation layer and OS, must crazy expensive too.
I know wages haven’t gone up with inflation, which makes $400 hard to afford, but that’s not in Commodore’s control.
If one wants a cheaper AliExpress Android fliphone, that’s reasonable.
But it’s not the same product. And you’re going to pay for it in other ways.
Android fliphone
Not interested. Want SailfishOS.
The alternative would be a mid-range phone with SailfishOS on it. I have one, a Sony Xperia III which I chosed for the small size. I like it. BTW I had nearly every Linux phone by Nokia and Jolla since the N900.
But if you still want something that is more like a pocket computer and less like a distracting phone, you could look for handheld PCs / ultraportables, and put Linux on one. These can run Threema Web, and Waydroid if you still want apps. (I have a Gemini PDA, and I like it, but be careful - this is NOT a phone - but fine for answering mail).
1st-party supported SailfishOS, to be specific.
That’s huge, to me.
Yeah! I have a Sony Xperia 10 III, but the SailfishOS support is kinda… not officially supported in the US?
This, I think the price is decent. Most dumbphones are low cost but you notice it - terrible buttons, slow camera, lackluster audio. On top of that they have no coolness factor. This is a phone that ticks all boxes and is privacy friendly. On top of that, it is from a company I like to support.
the cheap flip phones are truly dollar-store build quality and cameras. mine has a crappy radio, it seems, too… nearly always roaming on another carrier’s nearby tower because it can’t pick up the vzn one just a couple miles outside of town.
the ‘rugged’ ones are built better and can take a literal beating and still work, but they cost as much as a recent model 128gb smart phone… and still have squat for storage and lousy cameras.
Saying “lte Linux that can run Android” means nothing. All Android phones run Linux and support LTE. It’s an Android phone with restrictions on what Android apps it will run. That’s it. The screen is tiny and two small screens are cheaper than a larger one.
You can buy all of that for $100 on Aliexpress.
This is trash dressed up in a fun skin to sell to Commodore fans who don’t know how to delete an app from their phone.
It’s not Android. It’s SailfishOS. With first party support.
And even that aside, I don’t see anything comparable on Aliexpress, hardware wise.
Direct link to Commodore’s product page if you don’t want to give the news site a click: https://commodore.net/callback/
How about a phone for people who aren’t addicted to them, but want the basics without being spied on?
Things I want in a phone:
- GPS with maps and directions.
- A browser for the rare occasions I want to look something up when I’m away from home. The last time I used it was to find which aisle something was on at Lowe’s.
- Texting.
- Phone calls.
- Notes.
- A decent camera.
- No bigger than an iPhone 12 mini, which is what I have now, and it’s plenty big enough.
I don’t do anything else. Mostly my phone sits on my desk, ignored unless it makes a noise at me. I take it with me sometimes when I leave the house, but sometimes I don’t bother--not addicted.
This can easily be achieved with most any Android phone.
- Switch to a degoogled OS like GrapheneOS or LineageOS
- Install a minimalist launcher (there are dozens)
- install CoMaps for private gps and navigation
- use whatever chromium browser comes on the phone or install a privacy browser like Firefox (again, there are dozens)
- add a notes app (there are dozens)
I’m personally waiting for the Moto/GrapheneOS collab coming out next year. I’m rocking a slightly older OnePlus with LineageOS now.
doing this with a used pixel 8 pro bought off ebay.
A phone with SailfishOS is fine for that. It can get tricky with messengers and banking apps (but I think phones are Not A Good Idea for banking authentication).
this may very well be the phone for you. I think it does all of this
Except for the “A browser on rare occasions”, which sadly is likely the only thing stopping me from buying this at the new far more palatable price. I don’t need to be treated like a baby, but apparently this is considered a core feature of the phone and they won’t back down from it.
I 100% agree with this. This is SO CLOSE to getting it and offering a phone I actually want. But I want to own my devices and decide what I do on them. The thing hard locking me out of a browser (and discord) is unfortunately a deal breaker. I don’t want the hardware mfr to have a say in how I use the device and treat me like a literal child in the process. It’s disappointing.
Yup.
Although I’d expand texting to “messenger apps” specifically Signal for me.
Fuck SMS.
lol, it’s worth $100
There’ll probably be several to choose from on AliExpress at that price point.
Really? I am in.
Holy shit you weren’t kidding
Edit. fixed
holy mother of tracker URLs! lol
we fit all yer favorites in this sum bitch
That is concerning amount of query parameters.
Well now we know exactly where this person lives.
The
CATS22 is $150. It doesn’t have the same hardware, but I don’t see $250 worth of upgrades between that one and this.Definitely closer than asking $350 more, though. And it’s not like Sailfish functionality is worth nothing.
bought and used one of these. it sucks ass. if you want something dependable dont get this. keypresses on the dialpad dont register half the time which nade t9 input impossible. also you must install a 3rd party app to use t9 as your main input. stock rom pops the qwerty touch keyboard on the yiny screen for every input
