Commodore’s newest gadget is a flip phone that blocks social media and browsers
The phone runs Sailfish OS and supports over 99% of Android apps while blocking social media, browsers and email by default, Commodore said.
- Commodore CEO Christian Simpson launched the Callback 8020, a retro-styled flip phone starting at $499 that blocks social media and web browsers to promote digital minimalism.
- After purchasing the defunct brand in 2025, Simpson repositioned Commodore as a digital minimalist brand, tapping into Y2K nostalgia and growing demand for smartphone alternatives.
- The Callback 8020 runs Linux-based Sailfish, supporting over 99 percent of Android apps including Spotify and WhatsApp, and features a 48-megapixel Sony camera with a headphone jack.
- Commodore plans to ship the device by the end of this year using an allow-listing system where users request apps for AI and human review approval.
- Simpson describes the Callback as "the phone between dumb and smart," positioning it as a utility tool for users seeking to reclaim their weekends from smartphone distractions.
38 Articles
38 Articles
The historic Commodore brand has announced a new device that aims to combat smartphone dependency. It is called Callback 8020 and is a Linux-based folding phone that eliminates, by default, access to networks...
The computer legend Commodore is back and brings out a folding phone. This has no browser and does not allow social networks. Doing away and retro aesthetics are however quite expensive.
Commodore Announces Callback 8020, the Mobile Phone That Helps You Disconnect
No social media. No browser. No work. It's time to live again. DOVER, Del., June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Commodore today announced a mobile phone with no social media, no email, no browser, and no apologies. Arriving later this year, the Commodore Callback 8020 is the flip phone between dumb and smart, built for a world that wants to flip off 'always on'. In 1986, Commodore Founder Jack Tramiel stated, "Most major corporations don't respect pe…
Commodore gets into the phone biz with Sailfish-powered retro 'Callback'
Retro computing brand Commodore has brought its pre-internet sensibilities to the mobile phone market with a $500 flip handset that proudly ships without social media, email, a web browser, or most of the things people typically buy smartphones to use. The company unveiled the device, dubbed Callback, this week and pitched it as a privacy-focused antidote to doomscrolling. Built in partnership with Finnish outfit Jolla, whose Sailfish OS traces …
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