Commodore plans a $499 flip phone built to block social media
The Callback 8020 pairs retro styling with a restricted app approach as Commodore targets people trying to spend less time on smartphones.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Commodore is preparing to sell a flip phone designed to cut off social media and web browsing while keeping some modern phone functions. The device, called the Callback 8020, shows how the revived computer brand is using nostalgia to target consumers looking for a less distracting handset.
The Verge reported that Christian Simpson, the retro gaming YouTuber known as Peri Fractic, bought what remained of Commodore in 2025. After bringing back a Commodore 64-style computer, Simpson’s company is now moving into phones with a device the original Commodore never made.
According to The Verge, Commodore says it has sold 30,000 of its revived Commodore 64 machines since last year. Those computers resemble the 1982 model but add newer features including Wi-Fi and USB ports.
Simpson told The Verge that he believes Commodore would have moved into phones had the company continued through the rise of mobile devices. He said he thinks the company would have followed Apple and eventually released an iPhone, or at least a phone, because other companies did.
A limited phone with Android app support
The Callback 8020 starts at $499 and uses a clamshell design with styling drawn from early-2000s phones. The internal display measures 3.25 inches and has a 480 x 640 resolution, according to The Verge.
The phone includes a MediaTek Helio G81 processor, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. It also has a headphone jack, an FM radio antenna and a 48-megapixel camera.
Simpson described the Callback to The Verge as a device “between dumb and smart.” The phone blocks social media and web browsers, and The Verge reported that it is not allowed to reach Facebook’s servers.
The device runs a version of Jolla’s Sailfish operating system, which The Verge described as privacy-focused. Because of that software base, the Callback can technically run Android apps, though Commodore plans to limit what appears in its app store.
Commodore intends to use an allow-list system for apps, according to The Verge. Users will be able to request Android apps, and a mix of AI and human reviewers will decide whether they should be added. Sideloading will remain an option for apps outside that system.
Simpson told The Verge he is open to adding services such as Uber and Spotify. He also said he is ready to keep apps such as Slack and Gmail off the Callback.
Quiet notifications and retro colors
Commodore is positioning the Callback as a phone for evenings and weekends, according to The Verge, with fewer work alerts and distractions than a regular smartphone. Instead of vibrating for notifications, the phone uses five colored LEDs.
The outer display is limited to basic information: time, date, battery level and connectivity status. Users can make calls, take photos, send messages by voice or T9 typing, and listen to music through what Commodore calls an “audiophile-grade” DAC with included headphones, The Verge reported.
The standard Callback will be sold in beige, white and silver. Commodore also plans a translucent blue version priced at $549.99 and a gold Founders Edition priced at $640.
Commodore plans to begin shipping the phones by the end of the year, according to The Verge. Simpson told the publication the company has added a pricing buffer to account for tighter supplies of RAM and other components, and said any unused buffer could be used to offer a discounted launch price.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.