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.
That’s more like it!
And I completely disagree with the people saying it should be much cheaper.
It’s a LTE Linux computer. In 2026. With multiple screens, a 48MP camera, good DAC, enough power to run real Android apps and tons of bells and whistles; what do you expect?
Electronics are expensive, unless it’s cheap garbage, heavily subsidized, or both. That has a huge externalized cost, and avoiding that is the whole point of this phone. R&D, customer service, and continued software support for the translation layer and OS, must crazy expensive too.
I know wages haven’t gone up with inflation, which makes $400 hard to afford, but that’s not in Commodore’s control.
If one wants a cheaper AliExpress Android fliphone, that’s reasonable.
But it’s not the same product. And you’re going to pay for it in other ways.
Saying “lte Linux that can run Android” means nothing. All Android phones run Linux and support LTE. It’s an Android phone with restrictions on what Android apps it will run. That’s it. The screen is tiny and two small screens are cheaper than a larger one.
You can buy all of that for $100 on Aliexpress.
This is trash dressed up in a fun skin to sell to Commodore fans who don’t know how to delete an app from their phone.