Yo, I love flip phones, think that it just looks so cunty,I’m looking for a modern flip/clamshell phone with a physical keypad, and I’m trying to find even the most obscure models worldwide. Quirky designs, with quirky color combinations are also lovely. Retro tech is the best. My ideal phone would have 5G, full Android + Google Play, 128GB minimum (256GB preferred), a modern chipset/RAM, USB-C, good cameras/battery, and a 4"+ main/inter, maybe a flashlight would also be great… I want to dig as obscure as possible, across Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Southeast Asia, Europe, Africa, Middle East, Latin America, basically anywhere — including tiny local brands, ODMs, discontinued models, prototypes/leaks, and upcoming 2026–2027 phones.i’d also want it to run apps and websites as well, lowkey kinda like a smart phone.
You can check the major Japan carrier sites to gan an idea of what’s around (au, kddi, dokomo, etc.)
Commodore just made a flip phone. The Callback. It’s preorder only right now.
Thank you for your suggestion❤️
samsung has made a lot of android flip phones for the asian markets, don’t think they still do. they were called “galaxy folders”. 5g is a tough ask because then you get into the foldables era. the only “weird” 5G phone i know off the cuff is the lg wing which is six years old at this point. the cat s22 is a year newer, and it’s a flip phone, but it doesn’t do 5G.
there’s a local brand, Doro, that makes phones for seniors. their aurora a20 has a pretty neat form factor. again, no 5G.
a friend of mine got the f(x)tec pro1, which has a full qwerty keyboard, when it was available. it’s a real hefty boi though, at almost 400g. and no 5G.
ulefone makes some real weird hardware, including keypad android phones, with laser pointers and thermal imaging cameras built-in. no flip phones though. on the same wavelength is unihertz which makes like, actual keyring-sized phones. 3" displays.
honestly though, you can’t go wrong with the hmd barbie. it has none of what you asked for, but it’s hot pink and the IDE for writing your own apps is a 10 year old version of firefox.
the IDE for writing your own apps is a 10 year old version of firefox.
This is because KaiOS is a derivative of Firefox OS, which was discontinued in 2016. I tried it on my Nexus 4 once, it was… interesting.
Likewise, the only flip phones I am aware of are all 4G.
Lowkey feel like I’m always comprising or something is always missing. The goal is to make a complete switch to a flip phone, which would naturally involve using it for some work-related purposes as well. Nothing particularly demanding, but it would need to handle tasks such as opening and storing college presentations and PDFs, along with accessing multiple websites when necessary.The 5G requirement is primarily based on previous experience. A 4G phone bought in 2019 which drove me nuts, literally could not function google maps,or various other sites /apps😭😭(can vouch for it ).Certain websites and services now appear to function properly only with a 5G connection. Even when a flip phone meets the necessary software and functionality requirements, there is often a compromise in terms of aesthetics and experimental form factor, and vice versa with bad color combinations. Cannot give up either of them 😭 Based on the research so far, I have my eyes on upcoming releases. Anyway, love all your suggestions, there were some that I hadn’t come across before. Thank you❤️
Excited for this thread :))
I think the closest you can go is the Commodore Flip (isn’t 5G, but looks quirky), Light Flip (5G, but not really quirky). There will be a Mive Style Folder 3 in the near future apparently, but that one is an usual flip phone too.
Real, if it’s quirky then the software lowkey shit and vice versa. Yes, Mive style folder 3 doesnt really have an extensive upgrade from style folder 2. Imma just wait for future releases, there are other companies that have announced future releases. Thank you for your suggestions❤️
I believe I’ll remember the model right, but Samsung SCHi900 & i910.
Thank you for your suggestion❤️
Oh, well, I should’ve read you’re full description. I eagerly jumped at the suggestion when I saw the funny picture. The sch models are old. Like over
a decade2 decades old iirc. 😔 sorry
I still use my htc desire Z for my parents home automation, it’s running cyanogen mod and does not have 5g sadly :/
That’s cool, I’m tryna look for it to completely replace and become my daily mobile rather than a secondary device, but thank you for your suggestion❤️
think that it just looks so cunty
Lmao
Typo or have the kids started using the word differently?
The word has different meanings and connotations depending on where you are (avoid using entirely in the US, but its fine in Australia or Scotland).
Depends who you’re talking to in Scotland
Say it to an old lady and you’ll get battered with whatever the nearest hard object is
True, but it still doesn’t have the connotation it does in the US where it’s a straight up unacceptable in any context.
Hey, many of us in England enjoy its use too, not just our Cunty Cousins to the north.
In the US in queer and drag circles you might hear it used like that but yeah I probably wouldn’t be tossing it out in public.
Nope. Cunty is a positive term. It’s like serving cunt. It’s akin to being a bad bitch.
Essentially, unabashedly assertive, bold, potentially feminine, but I’ve seen it used otherwise too.
Well that doesn’t seem to have made it to my part of the UK (though I don’t regularly talk to anyone younger than about 26) where the most common usage is “cunty behaviour”, i.e. being a bit of a dickhead
Is this a recent development where you’re from? Or am I just not in the right circles to have hit this one yet
I don’t think this has taken root in Swedish culture no. You’ll encounter it a lot in gay circles online, particularly US adjacent.
You gotta run in gayer circles
And remember to bring a water bottle so you don’t get dehydrated
New use of the word! Share it with your Mom she will love it!
is cunty like slang for good or something. like bad to the bone or something?
When you say something “looks cunty”, you’re saying it looks yaaaasss diva, slay the house down boots pussy hat slay mama!
AliExpress is filled with phones like this. Though 5G is still hit or miss.
I’m personally looking for a mini iPhone knockoff but all are 4G and some don’t even have 4G, last I checked. I see a ton of other cool flip smartphones there though.
Just searched in Korea. Samsung used to make them but not anymore, they seems to herd that market towards the Z flip now.
Latest flip phone available on the market is a 2025 Chinese 4G phone.
Personally I would settle with a keyboard that can be attached to a generic bar type phone that can be slid out so I can ssh into things, but alas even that is impossible it seems.
abandoning flip phones and moving to the z flip was bad move from samsung. Anyway, I understand your reasoning with the slide out keyboard, did come across a few great editions. unfortunately, I am a sucker for flip phones, idk the clicking sound everytime while opening it is stylish. Thank you for your sugesstion❤️
For Japan I think all the companies that used to make these flip phones moved on to soap bar style phones, as all the flip ones I could find were released 5-10+ years ago. Of course that means no 5G, but you should look up fujitsu, sharp, and Kyocera to see some of these older ones. Can probably find them cheaply on Mercari.
I will never understand, the switchup from peak form factor to soap bar style phones. Came across a few dumb phones primarily from nokia or sony with peak aesthetics which I obviously cannot purchase it serves no purpose other than to mog the rest of my electronics. Your suggestions are great, thank you❤️
