Commodore's dumbphone Callback outsold the C64 Ultimate in three days

Commodore's new flip phone, the Callback, has had a breakout launch — the company says it matched the Commodore 64 Ultimate's entire first month of sales within just three days of going on sale.

The Callback is a privacy-focused dumbphone that blocks social media at the system level. The blocked list covers X, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Kick, Twitch, Roblox, and Discord — no browser or email either. It does include WhatsApp, a map app, and a handful of retro games including Snake. The phone launched at $500, but Commodore cut $100 off the price before release, and that move appears to have made a real difference. On X — which, yes, you cannot access from the Callback itself — Commodore called it "Our biggest launch. Our biggest week. The biggest moment in Commodore's modern history."

Commodore was revived in 2025 under retro YouTuber Chris "Peri Fractic" Simpson, who reassembled some former executives and pivoted into hardware. The brand had previously released the Commodore 64 Ultimate and the slimline 64C alongside a merch line, but the Callback represents a sharp change in direction — away from nostalgia hardware and into the growing dumbphone market, which has been picking up steam as more people look to cut screen time without going fully offline.

The Callback's appeal is obvious in theory, but the tradeoffs are steep for anyone who relies on email or uses Discord daily. Whether the launch momentum holds once early adopters have their units will be the real test for Commodore's new direction.