Commodore Is Back — and It Wants to Sell You a $499 Flip Phone

Early personal computers were much less powerful than the machines we have today, which made their operating systems and other software simpler out of necessity. This generally meant that the software was less useful; however, there was a bright side to this, too. Simplicity makes things easier to understand and eliminates many of the distractions that come with multitasking and always-on internet connections.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if we ignored the full potential of modern hardware and instead designed an operating environment on the principles of earlier times? The latest incarnation of Commodore — once upon a time the makers of the best-selling personal computer ever — has been thinking about this a lot lately. That resulted in the development of a phone named the Callback 8020. It seems that the current team believes the company that brought us the Commodore 64 would be selling souped-up flip phones that look like they are from the early 2000s if it were still around today.

The Callback 8020 is built around the idea that modern phones are too good at grabbing your attention, and maybe that’s not a good thing. Instead of chasing more features, Commodore is removing them. There’s no browser, no social media, and no built-in work apps. Even the touchscreen is disabled by default, replaced by physical controls and T9-style typing, which add a bit of friction to prevent excessive use.

The phone runs a Linux-based operating system derived from Sailfish OS. That gives it the ability to run most Android apps — Commodore claims around 99% compatibility — while still enforcing hard blocks on the kinds of apps it considers problematic. If you really want to bypass those restrictions, sideloading APKs is still an option, but that’s not the intended experience.

In terms of hardware, the Callback 8020 is nothing impressive, but it gets the job done. A MediaTek Helio G81 processor with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage is enough for everyday tasks, and there’s support for LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. It also includes a 48MP camera, which feels almost excessive given the phone’s otherwise limited specs.

Perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised that the company that gave us the SID chip put some extra effort into the phone’s audio capabilities. It is equipped with an “audiophile-grade” DAC with ESS and Cirrus Logic components, along with bundled HQ IEM earphones. This is used to play SID-inspired ringtones and audio from a built-in FM radio.

The Callback 8020 has a starting price of $499, and pre-orders are opening at the end of June. Whether the audience for a phone like this is large enough to support a new hardware push remains to be seen. In any case, it is hard to deny that it would be cool to have a phone with a Commodore logo on the front, and that may just be the best feature.