Commodore, iconic 1980s computer brandis back for your attention—putting its name on the hottest trend: digital detox.
After re-establishing the brand (again) and honest recreation of nature Commodore 64 personal computer (again), the company’s next product is a smartphone with everyday essentials, but without the extra smart apps to grab your attention.
The Commodore Callback 8020 isn’t the first Commodore-branded phone (that would be Pet from 2015), but it is the first to feel unique and interesting. It may look like an old Nokia dumb phone, but this wireless device can access modern Android apps because it runs Linux’s Sailfish OS. from the Finnish company Jolla. Callback’s front screen shows the date, time and battery status, but no notifications. Flip it over, and you’re greeted with a custom interface that can run apps like Uber, WhatsApp and Spotify.
What can’t work are distracting apps that take you away from life, so no social media, no browsers, and no email, and of course no Slack.
Commodore CEO Christian “Peri Fractic” Simpson says Commodore may have gone quiet in the ’90s, but it’s ready to enter its Y2K era with technology from the early 2000s, which it was. in style right now.
“A lot of people are trying to go back to simpler technology and maybe experiment leave their smartphones on the weekend,” Simpson tells WIRED. “We found that for people who buy the C64, that really appealed to them. So we positioned ourselves as a small digital brand. Simpson points out that the new Commodore 64 Ultimate, the company’s desktop computer set back in 2025, has a word processor so people can type. without interruptionsuch as on a typewriter.
Commodore has a phone manufacturing partner in Shenzhen. (Commodore won’t share the name of this partner.) The Callback features a MediaTek Helio G81 processor, includes a 32-GB microSD card and custom-designed in-ear monitors from FiiO. Yes, there is microphone jack and an “audiophile-grade” digital-to-analog converter on the Callback. The battery is removable and replaceable, and the LED light on the front can notify you when notifications come in. The phone also has an FM radio tuner.
The camera has a 48-megapixel Sony camera sensor which, on paper, seems capable of taking good pictures. Commodore has also created a retro camcorder mode with custom-made filters, making it look like your video came from scratch. straight from the 90s. The screen supports touch, although the company says this is disabled by default.
