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.
Sundray — curious why the team chose SailfishOS over something like KaiOS, which already has a carrier-backed dumbphone ecosystem (JioPhone, etc). The Android app support is clever, but does disabling web/social feel like a software band-aid rather than a hardware differentiator? We ran a quick teardown of feature trade-offs in constrained devices here https://cxgo.ai/l/etqsD4F — might save some R&D cycles if you’re iterating.
So still $100 more than a LightPhone II, an already somewhat pricey ‘detox phone’, or about the same price as a used Moto RAZR if yoh just wanted a flippy phone made of pre-owned components
It’s just a flip phone with Android running on it like every other flip phone with Android running on it that they’ve produced over the last 5 years. Commodore never even made phones historically, I don’t understand why I should care about this.
I heard it has Sailfish. Maybe its just an option but not default?
Didn’t Nokia still make dumbphone and only cost double digits? With $400 i can just get a decent smartphone and then install app locker and lock all irrelevant app in it.
Or get something that run on non-bloatware OS and don’t download
Atari should make a pager. It also runs on Android software. It will cost $800. It comes with belt clip.
When I first saw it I was thinking 249USD. But twice that? Nah.
jesus I buy older model phones so I don’t have to deal with the enormous price tag. Samsung Galaxy S10 with headphone jack and removable SD card, got it for $150. Who tf still buying new phones? even worse, who’s paying 3 times as much for a phone that does so much less? I’d love a digital detox thing, but I like having google maps on my phone
Was $500 now $400 still lol.
It’s $400, there’s no choice of carrier, the battery won’t hold a charge, and the reception isn’t very-
Shut up and take my money!
Lol I forgot that $400 was considered excessive.
Now people buy $1200 phones yearly.
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 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.
You may be correct but that just makes them look dumb for trying to do this in the first place. Why? Make some mechanical keyboards, retro looking monitors or other peripherals, whatever might actually make sense for the Commodore brand and style. Not a phone.
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.
$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
Phones cheaper than USD$400 tend to have 6-8year old chipsets
What area of the world are you from? Just curious where there is such a state of affairs.
This is definitely not true for Asia and Europe. It been a while since I was living in North America, but this didn’t seem true back then. Although I lived in a city and didn’t buy through carriers and never dealt with carrier blocking independently bought phones.
Perhaps North American carrier requirements have changed since then.
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!”
“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 honestly like everything about this except the no browser and small screen choices. I get the idea, but I’m happy with my addiction, thanks, I just want the privacy and control. And SailfishOS looks interesting, but I cant find a way to try it, except as a VM.
$500!? What kind of crack are they smoking?
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)
