Commodore’s newest gadget is a flip phone that blocks social media and browsers

Ars Technica Products

Summary

Commodore announced the Callback 8020 flip phone running Sailfish OS, designed to block social media and web browsers while supporting essential Android apps and featuring retro Commodore 64 design elements.

<p>The next gadget to bear the storied Commodore branding will be a flip phone.</p> <p>The name behind the <a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/08/three-decades-of-the-commodore-64/">bestselling desktop PC</a> in history came back about a year ago. Christian “Peri Fractic” Simpson, best known for running the Retro Recipes (now known as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@RetroRecipes">Retro Recipes x Commodore</a>) YouTube channel, acquired the Commodore Corporation and "100 percent of the original and official trademarks that defined the Commodore name since 1983,” per a July 2025 press release. Simpson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke-Ao-CpI7E">said</a> the price was “in the low seven figures.” Since the acquisition, the brand released the <a href="https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/retro-gaming/commodore-64-ultimate-review">Commodore 64 Ultimate</a> and the <a href="https://www.mini-itx.com/store/c64x">Commodore 64X PC</a>, a mini PC housed in a chassis that resembles the Commodore 64.</p> <p>Today, the new Commodore announced a new device in a dated design: a flip phone.</p><p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/commodores-newest-gadget-is-a-flip-phone-that-blocks-social-media-and-browsers/">Read full article</a></p> <p><a href="https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/commodores-newest-gadget-is-a-flip-phone-that-blocks-social-media-and-browsers/#comments">Comments</a></p>
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# Commodore’s newest gadget is a flip phone that blocks social media and browsers Source: [https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/commodores-newest-gadget-is-a-flip-phone-that-blocks-social-media-and-browsers/](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026/06/commodores-newest-gadget-is-a-flip-phone-that-blocks-social-media-and-browsers/) “We’re determined to approach this in a way that’s fair and safe for everyone, and we’ll be consulting with the Callback community over the next few months to make this determination,” he said\. The Callback 8020 runs the Linux\-based operating system Sailfish OS, which is made by Jolla, a mobile company[created by Nokia employees](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/07/former-nokia-employees-start-company-to-build-new-meego-devices/)in 2012 that[also makes phones](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/05/sailfish-os-phone-jolla-debuts-available-for-preorders/)\. Per Commodore, its phone will support “over 99 percent of Android apps” through Sailfish OS’s[Android runtime](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/08/googles-android-updates-have-improved-app-startups-by-30-percent/)app compatibility layer, including Spotify, Signal, and WhatsApp\. Commodore also equipped the phone with some Commodore 64\-era games\. [![Commodore Callback 8020 using WhatsApp.](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Commodore-Callback-8020-Checking-in-with-Mom-and-Dad-e1781549270215-640x560.jpg)](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Commodore-Callback-8020-Checking-in-with-Mom-and-Dad-e1781549270215.jpg) Some Internet\-based apps, like WhatsApp, will work\. Credit: Commodore Some Internet\-based apps, like WhatsApp, will work\.Credit: Commodore To minimize distractions, the phone uses a dome\-shaped LED light that lights up when you have a message\. Commodore thinks this will be less distracting than pop\-up messages, but I wager a lit\-up phone draws attention, too\. The former Nokia 3360/3595 owner inside of me is highly interested in another attention\-grabbing design feature: the ability to swap phone covers and attach a stringed charm to the case\. Additionally, the flip phone’s exterior screen is designed to resemble 1970s Commodore calculators and has a red tint\. [![](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Commodore776M_1-1.jpg)](https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Commodore776M_1-1.jpg) A Commodore 776M calculator from 1975\. A Commodore 776M calculator from 1975\.Credit:[Vintage Calculators](http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/commodore_776m_-_796m.html) As a former Nokia phone user, I’m excited to hear that the phone is supposed to let you swap covers and let you attach a stringed charm through the case\. For audio, the Callback 8020 uses an 8\-bit SID music player, an app for playing music created for the SID \(sound interface device\) chip in the original Commodore 64\. The phone also has what Commodore claims is a high\-end, on\-board DAC, an integrated FM radio, and a 3\.5mm jack, and it comes with a pair of in\-ear monitors\.

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