Commodore Callback 8020 -The hybrid phone

Commodore’s new phone coming in 2026–2027—pre-orders begin on June 30, 2026

Commodore is unveiling an unconventional product—this time, it’s a phone that isn’t a smartphone. But it’s not a basic phone either, nor is it a smartphone—although it can run Android apps if needed. The market has been lacking phones that are more advanced than basic models, featuring instant messaging capabilities, a decent camera, and the ability to share a Wi-Fi hotspot connection—for example, with a laptop. From a Finnish perspective, Commodore’s phone is interesting because of its operating system connection. Jolla, a company with roots in Nokia, has joined the project, and Commodore’s phones run on Jolla’s Sailfish operating system.Who is the Commodore Callback 8020 hybrid phone intended for?

What’s the idea behind Commodore’s phone?

Constant exposure to the internet is harmful; excessive use causes side effects such as a decline in cognitive skills, attention disorders, addiction, and social media-related issues. But today’s networked society almost forces people to be constantly online, even though it can be harmful. Constantly staring at a screen means mindlessly scrolling through streams of meaningless information. Tech companies have made phones indispensable and built in features that spy on and analyze users; privacy is practically nonexistent. And quitting the Internet isn’t something you can just do on a whim, since doing so could lead to losing relationships and leaving things undone.

The idea behind Commodore’s new phone is to take back control of phone usage. It doesn’t come with a web browser or email by default, but it does include instant messaging options such as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, and iMessages. Unlike basic phones, it also comes with a decent camera and a Wi-Fi hotspot, which allows you to connect your computer to the internet. In practice, you don’t miss out on anything, since phone usage is managed more through the computer, but you can still use the phone to message just like a smartphone via instant messaging apps. Whether the phone is a Commodore or another brand, this hybrid between a basic phone and a smartphone is a welcome addition to the market—and it’s compact, too. It’s hard to find a smartphone these days that’s both compact and easy to carry. Commodore’s phone focuses on mobile messaging in a compact form factor. Hopefully, there’s room in the market for this kind of concept, since for some people, basic phones offer too few features, while smartphones are bulky devices with too many features and lack privacy protection.

Who is the Commodore Callback 8020 hybrid phone intended for?

• People who want or need to reduce their daily Internet use.
• People who need a small phone with a decent camera.
• People who want to return to using the Commodore brand and loves retro products.
• Individuals and organizations that need their phones to have a long battery life.
• Individuals and organizations that are concerned about privacy and data security.
• Individuals and organizations that want to reduce the power of tech giants.
• Employers who want to minimize the amount of time their employees spend online.
• Organizations that work on security issues.

When the phone is available, you can check out the Commodore Callback 8020 phone at the traveling “I love 8-bit®” exhibitions that can be booked from The Computer Museum of Kallio.

Verdict

The concept behind the hybrid phone developed by Commodore is a good one. It shouldn’t be compared to smartphones, because it isn’t one. It should be compared to the target audience’s needs and how it meets them. The start is promising, at least. But what about the price? At least initially, the phone is quite expensive, but it’s important to remember that Commodore doesn’t make money off users’ data. However, the money for developing, manufacturing, and marketing the phones has to come from somewhere. Privacy is a luxury these days, and it comes at a price. That’s reflected in the price of Commodore’s hybrid phone. Everyone can decide for themselves whether it’s worth it in a world where the internet has destroyed privacy.

What does Commodore say about the Commodore Callback 8020 hybrid phone?

The following text and promotional images were taken from Commodore’s website on June 16, 2026. The story continues after the photos.

What is being written about this topic in the media? We’ve summarized a few articles here.

(Sharon Harding  Arstechnica 16th June 2026)

The name behind the best-selling desktop computer of all time (Commodore) made a comeback about a year ago. Christian “Peri Fractic” Simpson, best known as the host of the Retro Recipes YouTube channel (now Retro Recipes x Commodore), purchased Commodore Corporation along with “100 percent of the original and official trademarks that have defined the Commodore name since 1983,” according to a press release issued in July 2025. Simpson said the purchase price was “in the low seven-figure range.” Since the acquisition, the brand has launched the Commodore 64 Ultimate model and the Commodore 64X PC, a mini-computer housed in a case reminiscent of the Commodore 64. Today, the new Commodore unveiled a new device with a retro design: a flip phone. The Commodore Callback 8020 capitalizes on the renewed interest in basic phones. Although the Commodore phone has an internet connection, it blocks web browsers and social media “at the system level using patent-pending technology,” as stated in the company’s press release. The phone supports other internet-based features, such as maps and QR codes. Fractic told Ars Technica that Commodore’s app store, Commostore, operates on a whitelist basis, and that “social media and browsers will never make it onto that whitelist.” He added: “We have also developed patent-pending technology that prevents these apps—and only these apps—from being sideloaded onto the device. … Users can download almost anything else they want from the web if it’s not available on Commostore, but we’ve drawn a strict line against any apps that encourage doomscrolling. Just in case someone finds a way to bypass this block, we’ve also blocked access at the DNS level. So even if you manage to install TikTok, you won’t be able to access its servers.” The Callback 8020 runs the Linux-based Sailfish OS, developed by Jolla, a mobile technology company founded in 2012 by former Nokia employees that also manufactures phones. According to Commodore, its phone supports “over 99 percent of Android apps” through Sailfish OS’s Android runtime environment’s app compatibility layer, including Spotify, Signal, and WhatsApp. Commodore has also preloaded the phone with some games from the Commodore 64 era.

The Callback 8020 is a major step for the new Commodore brand and demonstrates an interest in creating new, nostalgia-inducing products rather than simply re-releasing old devices. With the Callback 8020, the brand may be seeking to strike a balance between leveraging newer technology while preserving some of the principles from the early days of modern mobile computing. Commodore’s press release refers to “a growing number of consumers, parents, and decision-makers who are questioning the costs of constant internet connectivity,” and its goal is for the Callback 8020 to represent “a return to technology’s original promise: tools that serve their users” and “where the customer is not the product.” Furthermore, the announcement claims that the phone does not “collect personal data without consent,” does not use data for commercial purposes, does not track cookies, and does not “monitor user activity.”

“There’s something very fitting about a company like Commodore—which went out of business in the 1990s—returning, ready to step into its Y2K era, just as consumers are beginning to return to that simpler technology,” Fractic noted in his statement. The Callback 8020 is priced between $500 and $640, depending on which of the five color options is chosen. It’s cheaper than the latest Motorola Razr flip/foldable phone (which starts at $800) and falls into the mid-price range among other premium phones designed to minimize distractions, such as the WisePhone II ($400), Light Phone III ($699), Light Phone II ($299), and Boring Phone (NZD 499, or about $291). We’ll see if people are willing to pay for nostalgic simplicity and retro branding when shipments begin, which Commodore plans to happen in the fourth quarter.

Read the full article on the Arstechnica website >>

(Carly Page, theregister.com, June 16, 2026).

Retro computer brand Commodore has brought the spirit of the pre-internet era to the mobile phone market with a $500 flip phone that is proudly delivered without social media, email, a web browser, or most of the features that people typically buy smartphones for. The company unveiled the device, named Callback, this week and is marketing it as a privacy-focused antidote to “doomscrolling.” The device was developed in collaboration with the Finnish company Jolla, whose Sailfish OS operating system has its roots in former Nokia engineers. This Linux-based cell phone aims to strike a balance between a traditional cell phone and a smartphone.

Commodore has removed email, social media, web browsing, workplace chat apps, and AI assistants, but has brought back physical control buttons and T9-style text messaging.

Instead, buyers get a flip phone with a 48 MP Sony camera, FM radio, HD audio support, a selection of Commodore-themed games, and enough Android compatibility to ensure that “99 percent” of Android apps work through Sailfish OS’s compatibility layer. “Phones used to be fun. Then they became too smart—both for themselves and for us,” said Commodore CEO Peri Fractic, who explained that the idea stemmed from his own efforts to reduce screen time before he became a father.

The company strongly emphasizes privacy as a selling point and promises that it won’t collect data secretly, that users won’t need to log into an account, that data will be stored encrypted, and that its business model is a so-called “private, non-profit” one. For many tech veterans, however, the real draw may simply be the logo on the front of the device. Long before smartphones, app stores, and algorithm-driven news feeds, Commodore devices were a fixture in bedrooms, classrooms, and living rooms around the world.

For a certain generation of geeks, the brand still brings to mind the loading screens of cassette tapes, the soundtracks produced by the SID chip, and the countless hours spent typing out programs from magazine listings. That is precisely why the company keeps coming back to life. Commodore International went bankrupt in 1994, but the brand has spent most of the time since then passing from one owner to another, all of whom have sought to capitalize on the popularity still associated with the name.

Read the full story at theregister.com