Commodore’s New Flip Phone Can’t Open Social Media, and That’s the Whole Point

• $399 US starting price
• 0 social media apps allowed
• 5 colour options
• Feb–Mar current batch ship estimate

Commodore, the brand behind the Commodore 64, is making a phone. The Callback 8020 has a proper keypad, and its big selling point is everything it won’t do. Web browsers and social media apps are blocked at system level, so you can’t simply install them yourself. Email and work apps are also absent from Commodore’s app store.

What Still Works

It runs Sailfish OS, a Linux-based system from Jolla, and can run many Android apps through a compatibility layer. Calls, texts, WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram are still on the menu. There’s a 48MP camera, 4G, GPS, a headphone jack and a removable battery.

For Commodore nerds, some of the ringtones and alarms use tunes associated with the Commodore 64’s SID sound chip. That’s delightful.

It comes in BASIC Beige, ProtoPET White, SX Silver and translucent blue Starlight, plus a Founders Edition with a 24-karat gold-plated C= key. More on that in a moment.

The New Commodore

The company behind the phone is Commodore International Corporation, revived in 2025 under Christian Simpson, the YouTuber better known as Peri Fractic. It brought former Commodore staff on board, and its first big release was the Commodore 64 Ultimate, a modern take on the classic computer.

The Catch

The Callback was originally priced at US$499. Commodore brought the starting price down to US$399 by making earphones optional and using tested recycled memory chips as standard, with new memory available as an upgrade. That is still a lot to spend on a phone whose appeal is doing less.

Then there’s the gold-plated Founders Edition and the launch trailer made with generative AI. Commodore listened to the criticism and later reshot the ad with real people. I’m glad it did. Still, those first choices took the shine off an idea I was really excited about. They made a phone meant to help people step away from the noise feel a little too much like another collectible tech launch.

Because I can see a real place for this thing. I’d get one for myself. I’d think seriously about getting one for my kid as she heads into high school. I’m trying hard to keep her safe from the worst parts of phones and social media without cutting her off from her friends. Australia now requires age-restricted social platforms to prevent under-16s from holding accounts, and I’m glad for that. It doesn’t answer every question a parent has when it’s time to put a phone in their child’s pocket.

Preorders are charged up front, and this is the revived company’s first phone. Commodore says delivery depends on certification. It also hasn’t published details about accessibility features such as screen reader support or text size options.

I still want the Callback to be good. A phone that lets you message your friends, find your way home and then snap it shut could be wonderful. I just wish its launch had shown as much faith in that simple idea as I had when I first heard it.

Stay unruly.