The launch of Commodore's social media-free privacy-first 'dumbphone' was apparently responsible for 'Our biggest week'

In 2025, Commodore was bought by retro YouTuber Chris "Peri Fractic" Simpson, who re-assembled some key execs and went into the hardware business. The main result so far has been the Commodore 64 Ultimate, the slimline 64C, and a line of merch including, er, a backpack holster?

Until last month, that is, when Commodore unveiled the Callback, an old-fashioned flip phone that blocks social media at a system level. No email and no browser either, though it does include a batch of retro games including Snake. Unlike some other dumbphones, the Commodore Callback has WhatsApp and a map, though at a cost—when announced, it came with a $500 pricetag.