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Comment by sys_64738 | Hacker News Reader

Go buy a flip phone which has smartphone capabilities. You can use it for basic smartphone requirements (SMS, browser, camera, etc) but you really wouldn't /want/ to. This is the issue with smartphones - ease of use means you are constantly grabbing for it.

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Can you point folks to specific models?

Google for "tracfone flip fone"

Unihertz Jelly

I've got a QinPhone candybar style phone, there are Japanese flip phones that work globally too.

I wasn't able to make the switch, I find that having a good camera on a phone is too much of a convenience.

Having done this search before I can tell you there aren’t many great options. There is one (1) 5G flip phone, the TCL Flip 4 5G, but it runs KaiOS (not Android) and is carrier locked to T-Mobile.

Unihertz makes smartphones, not flip phones. Some have keyboards but they don’t flip open (no moving parts). They also don’t provide regular software updates and their phones are easily damaged. Honestly if you’re thinking about buying one of these smartphones, the iPhone SE line is probably a better choice. I’m still using my 2016 iPhone SE without issue, supports 4G LTE but no 5G and gets security patches from Apple. Can run most apps without issue. Newer SE models have 5G but ditched the home button, headphone jack, and got bigger, all downgrades imo. Another phone in this area is the Pixel 4a 5G, which I’ve considered buying to replace my ageing 2016 SE but haven't yet. (I might just replace it with another 2016 iPhone SE).

Japanese flip phones (Keitai) are there own separate rabbit hole which includes texting a random Japanese man on WhatsApp and paying him to unlock the phone for you.[0] Also very difficult (if not impossible) to find a 5G phone, most are running 4G or 3G. But they can run Andriod

The bottom line is that there are no great phones in this space. Dumbphones are a slightly different concept than flip phones; many people who use dumbphones also have a smartphone for everyday tasks (maps, banking app, etc.). These people are drawn to dumbphones for help with screen addiction, minimalism, or just the aesthetic, which is different for me because I'm looking for a flip phone that is just as capable and well-supported as the mainline smartphones but that actually fits in my hands and my pockets and has a long battery life.

>Why 5G? Coverage and longevity. I've had my SE for nearly 10 years at this point and would like to be able to keep my next phone for just as long, even if 4G LTE becomes sparser/gets sunset. (I have already noticed that I get poorer coverage compared to 5G phones).

>Why Android? I need to be able to run my banking app and all other this-could-have-been-a-website apps packaged for the masses.

[0] https://old.reddit.com/r/dumbphones/comments/14qky1j/a_conso...

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