Not only are the phones extremely overpriced for what they are- the images they are using for advertising are AI images, and not real pictures. Also using "Make blank great again" format for their tagline is another scoop of excrement on the shit sundae.
this post was submitted on 18 Jun 2026
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I had a bad feeling about the whole C64 brand when it got overhauled recently. It had vaporware startup written all over it. Guess my gut feeling was on point once again.
It had vaporware startup written all over it.
It can't be "vaporware" when they are actually releasing products for purchase.
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The C64U that they make and that my wife bought me is one of the greatest things I have ever owned.
What kind of miserable institution do you need to be to generate AI images for a supposedly real product that you will supposedly be selling??
And when you want more music without algorithms, accounts, or another monthly subscription, just launch the built-in FM radio. Unlimited songs in your pocket, all powered by the MediaTek Helio G81 processor, with efficient passive cooling.
Why did they ever take this away from us? I was mad when they did.
One reason is that the wire from the headphones acted as an antenna.
It was gone way before the headphone jack was taken from us
on their tech overview and specs graphic
"sorry no U2"
🤣
Isn’t it just Commodore? Commodore 64 was a model of computer not the company name.
Tad expensive, and my new Sailfish phone from the O.G. Jolla is preordered already.
It's a tough market if you plan to make money only from the device and not from datamining like Google definitely does and Apple probably too.
Overpriced, stupid marketing, random proprietary crap, mildly interesting form factor, audio jack, microSD (but only 256GB, why?).
But more linux phones is more linux phones. I'll pass on it, but I don't hate it. You could probably just flash vanilla sailfish without much trouble.
Do you really need more than 256 GB on your phone?
This was my thought too. I'm going to wait and try and buy a used one, assuming some people will buy it, use it for a week and look to sell.
I'm not interested in commodore or its phones but I do hope the company makes enough money to stay in business, the world is a better place with commodore in it
It's literally just a name. This company has nothing to do with the Commodore you remember.
I watched the video on YouTube where what's his name announced the purchase, he seemed like a weird old nerd who actually liked and wanted to make this work.
Android is Linux-based.
...So is sailfish... But ultimately I think the reason they went with it is that it is much more secure than an android phone as it ensure your privacy is respected. You can still run android applications, but you don't have to worry about Google apps spying on your activity. Similar to Graphene OS where you can actually manage the permissions of Google apps rather than allowing it to have unfettered access to everything. Or heck, you don't even need to install any Google application to be able to use either Graphene or Sailfish. To me, they are just better ecosystems. And heck, sailfish isn't the only one. There is also postmarket os, Mobian, Manjaro ARM, Arch ARM, Ubuntu Touch, PureOS, and many more.
I wouldn't say that shipping the phone with WhatsApp preinstalled is privacy respecting.
I'm sorry, did I miss something? The commodore phone doesn't have social media applications.
Edit: Yes I did miss something. True it comes with Whatsapp running in an emulator in an LXC container. https://factually.co/fact-checks/electronics-tech/android-app-compatibility-on-sailfish-os-real-tests-a787aa
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iMessage
Lies too, that's great!
Maybe they are using OpenBubbles or something.
From their FAQ:
Can I install my own apps?
Web browsers and social media apps are blocked at the system level. Email and work apps are not offered through the Commostore app store, keeping Callback focused on life outside work and feeds.
Users are still be able to sideload apps outside those that are blocked, using APK installer files, but Callback is designed first and foremost as a calmer, more intentional phone.
So I can receive an Email but if it has a link to a website I can't click it? That's just silly, Commodore. You're doing a fine job being memeable and appealing to our nostalgia. Trying to "protect us from ourselves" like that kinda destroys that vibe. And no, the inevitable custom ROM circumventing your blocks won't make up for it.
Being a flip phone with a T9 keyboard is already a lot of built-in friction. And some people want a device that might intentionally limit them further. But I must admit, this phrasing (and a lot of their phrasing) is kind of weird.
Funny thing is, a T9 keyboard is actually a selling point for me. Current keyboards suck without any feedback and their prediction always causes so many typos I have to go back and correct. T9 I could type without needing to look at it and know I had it right.
Only if the T9 software is good though. KaiOS, a Mozilla initiated project to get web apps on T9 capable phones, absolutely failed with simple things like capitalizing the word "I" for example.
I didn't realize how unintuitive dumb phones could be until I was trying to explain different functions that were triggered by different arrow keys on a KaiOS phone to an elderly person
Its not made for you
Its made for those who wanna listen to music and take a few photos and not spend time on their phone
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So I can receive an Email but if it has a link to a website I can’t click it?
It says "Email and work apps are not offered through the Commostore app store". So you can't receive email unless you sideload an email app. And you could also sideload a browser as well to open a link. At which point you just have a smartphone.
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That seems pretty neat. I like that it's a "dumb" phone that can still use most apps.
Price seems a bit steep at $600, though.
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Using Sailfish OS is just trading Android for another proprietary OS. Why even bother going to all that effort and still end up back in the same place?
We have real mobile linux distros like postmarket OS and actual open source desktop environments like Phosh or plasma/gnome mobile.
Sailfish is not proprietary.
Lipstick (the UI) is proprietary. The OS itself is not.
That said, as someone who uses a SailfishOS phone everyday, I both wish Lipstick was OSS and wish this Commodore thing didn't exist. It's only going to bring poor publicity to Sailfish due to its stupid pricetag and featureset.
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