Never in my life did I expect a personal computer company to produce a flip phone until I heard the name Commodore. The 1980s computer manufacturer has paved its renaissance with the modernized keyboard computer, the 64 Ultimate, to rekindle the spirit of 8-bit gaming while upgrading it to DDR2 hardware.
The nostalgia revival team is now branching out its roots to Y2K with their upcoming cell phone, the Callback 8020. Rather than dipping into the murky smartphone market, Commodore innovated the nostalgia lens for the one thing people have voiced within the past decade: user privacy.
How is the Callback 8020 Built?
Commodore brought the Callback 8020 to life using the MediaTek Helio G81 processor and 4 GB of RAM. It has a built-in headphone jack, toggleable LED lights, and a 48-megapixel Sony camera. The cell phone does not operate under Android or iOS. The flip phone is programmed with Sailfish OS. Commodore’s engineers referenced and upgraded from Nokia MeeGo’s Jolla to create a modern UI and one strong enough to handle Android applications.
Despite the 32.5-inch screen, Commodore created an option to switch between the T9 keyboard and the touchscreen. Around 99% of Android applications can be operated on the device, with many needing touchscreen usage. The outer screen on top of the clamshell case will only tell time, date, and track unread notifications.
And in a world with fewer self-repairable phones, Commodore made a removable back cover that slides off and clicks on. It grants access to the phone’s 32 GB of storage and the Callback 8020’s replaceable 1550mAh battery. Users will be allowed to upgrade to 256 GB and insert their service’s SIM card in the dual-slot area. Finally, for emergencies, an SOS button has been added in case a user cannot access the keyboard.
This Dumb Smartphone Restricts Social Media
Commodore’s selling point for their dumb tech phone is to prevent obsessive social media usage, doomscrolling, and protect users from potentially invasive apps that want to collect their data. The company referred to 2025 research studies from the PNAS and the Pew Research. Both organizations state that people improve their mental health, concentration, and well-being when they try to cut back on their smartphones.
The Callback 8020 development team collectively decided to ban social media platforms to lower the users’ stress. Online browsers within the past decade have also raised user awareness of data consumption and theft. In an April 2026 Forbes report, any installed extensions have access to sensitive information, with 53% of users being enterprises with over 10 browser apps installed.
Commodore has stated in their Q&A that they are blocking all browsers from the flip phone until further notice. The company will be using the mobile device to test its patent-pending four-level blocking approach. Sideloading them as Android APKs is also prohibited.
Is It Anti-AI?
Commodore’s revival CEO and retro tech YouTuber Christian “Peri Fractic” Simpson is set to contribute to the Digital Detox. His mission in bringing back the ’80s keyboard computer company is to promote people to use past technology to help innovate the future. That’s why 2025 saw a resurgence in retro hardware as larger companies continue to overwhelm the public with unnecessary innovations, such as agentic AI.
Simpson is aware that not everyone is going to let go of AI as the trend continues to grow. Commodore has seen to pick up what browsers have done to keep users on their search engines. They stated in their Q&A about AI, “Callback and Sailfish OS have zero AI by default. [Carefully selected] AI apps may be available as optional downloads from the Commostore. We like apps that vow not to scrape and train on copyrighted creators’ work without permission.“
For now, it appears the Callback 8020 is ceasing users from operating generative AI.
Callback 8020’s Limited-Time Waitlist Sale
Commodore is offering a discount on the flip phone’s waitlist until June 30th. For any enthusiasts or anyone who wants to get away from doomscrolling, the Callback 8020 is currently priced at $499. The waitlist offers a code for $100 off their phone purchase.
