5 Affordable And Practical Flip Phones To Use In 2024
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The year is 2003. Your ringtone? Britney Spears, blasting from the iconic Motorola Razr V3, its sleek silver curves cradled in your hand. Back then, flip phones weren't just devices; they were statements, fashion accessories that announced your arrival — often with a satisfying snap. But then, smartphones happened. Touchscreens took over, relegating clamshells to dusty, nostalgic drawers.
Flash forward to 2024, and there is a curious twist to the tale: the flip phone is back, reinvented for a new era. Sure, the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series and Oppo Find N Flip aren't your dad's Razr. These modern marvels still close with a satisfying snap while also boasting high-tech screens and specs that rival top-tier flagships but come with a hefty price tag to match.
Yet, amidst the foldable fanfare, there has been a resurgence of sorts for affordable flip phones, which seems to be on the verge of a comeback. Forget the thousand-dollar price tags; these affordable flip phones seem to have become the unsung heroes for seniors, teens, or anyone seeking a practical escape from the smartphone vortex. These aren't your bulky brick phones of yore; they're sleek, modern updates prioritizing calls, texts, and battery life over endless scrolling and app overload.
This article dives into five affordable and practical flip phones that, while lacking the glitz of folding screens, deliver on what truly matters: reliable communication, pocket-friendly size, and wallet-friendly prices.
Nokia 2780 Flip
How can we talk about no-frills and classic flip phones and not even mention Nokia? While the modern-day brand Nokia is a mere shadow of the mobile phone giant it once was, there is no denying that the brand still evokes a feeling of nostalgia among millennials and the older Gen Z populace.
The company's modern-day iteration is making no effort to capitalize on this adulation. After introducing modern takes on some of the company's most iconic mobile phones — including the Nokia 3310, Nokia 8210, and the Nokia 6310 – Nokia has also created the Nokia 2780 Flip. While this might sound like a modern take on a beloved classic, eagle-eyed Nokia fans will quickly realize that there never was a Nokia 2780 in the first place.
Nevertheless, the Nokia 2780 Flip does take you back to the early 2000s with its unmissable classic looks. It is also pretty well-equipped for a modern-day classic and features a 2.7-inch, 240 x 320 pixels TFT LCD panel and an external display that displays notifications and time. The phone runs KaiOS 3.1 — which is an operating system designed for entry-level handsets. Surprising as it may sound, it also gets the Qualcomm Snapdragon 205 chip. At just 4GB, internal storage is paltry, but Nokia does give users the option to add a microSD card.
Nokia has also thrown in a basic 5MP camera just for kicks, although we do not expect you to capture Pulitzer-winning photos using it. What it can do, however, is offer you a standby time of 18 days on a single charge. The phone is 4G ready, which means it can easily connect to most modern-day networks. The Nokia 2780 Flip is available on Amazon and is priced at around $90.
Alcatel Go Flip 4
While it has never really raked up significant market share in the U.S., Alcatel has been selling affordable (and interesting) mobile phones in the country for a long time now. While the company primarily focuses its efforts on entry-level Android smartphones, Alcatel has also been dabbling with entry-level feature phones for a while.
The Alcatel Go Flip 4 is a flip-styled offering from the company with interesting specs. Like the Nokia 2780 flip, which also made it to this list, the Go Flip 4 runs KaiOS and features 4GB of internal storage (with the option to add a microSD card for additional storage). The phone also has a 2.4-inch color TFT LCD display and a smaller external display for call and message notifications.
Besides supporting 4G LTE versions, the handset sports a basic 2MP camera. The Alcatel Go Flip 4 comes in multiple variants, with the one listed here and on Amazon for $90 being the unlocked variant that will work on most U.S. carriers. Alcatel also gives you the option to get carrier-locked versions of the phone (T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile) if you buy the phone via either of these carriers.
Blu Tank Flip
Blu may not have Nokia's extensive legacy or Alcatel's long presence to speak for, but it does manage to deliver the best-looking phone among this lot. Like the other flip phones you have seen thus far, the Blu Tank Flip carries forward the familiar clamshell design. However, it sports a more purposeful look and may even warrant a second look from others.
In terms of specs, the Tank Flip compares well against the Nokia 2780 Flip and the Alcatel Go Flip with its 2.8-inch, 240 x 320-pixel main display and the secondary 1.8-inch external display. It even gets a basic 1.4 GHz Arm Cortex A53 chipset with 4GB of internal storage. What is different in terms of software is the use of Android AOSP instead of KaiOS.
The Tank Flip seems to be pretty serious about its camera capabilities and comes with dual 2MP cameras (selfie + main). Video capture is also possible — albeit at 480p at 30 fps. The Blu Tank Flip is pretty well-equipped on the connectivity front, with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB, and even 4G LTE support. The phone ships with a 1350 mAh battery, which is reasonably sized for a phone of its class. The Blu Tank Flip is available for purchase via Amazon for $60 and BestBuy for around $70 and comes in two color options: green and bronze.
TCL Go Flip 2
If you think the TCL Go Flip is closely related to the Alcatel Go Flip, which made an appearance earlier in this list, let us inform you that these devices indeed have some connection. As it turns out, all modern-day Alcatel-branded devices are, in fact, manufactured by TCL corporation, which secured the rights to use the Alcatel branding on its phones.
While it may look similar to the rest of the phones listed here, this device is perhaps among the most feature-packed of the lot. To begin with, the TCL Go Flip 2 gets 8GB of internal storage, which is double that of most of its competition. An entry-level MediaTek 6739-CH chipset powers the phone and runs Android AOSP. The 2.8-inch main display gets QVGA resolution (320 x 240 pixels), while the external display measures 1.44 inches across.
The TCL Go Flip 2 is also well-equipped on the connectivity front with support for LTE networks, USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and even GPS. The 1,850 mAh battery is also among the largest in its class and claims a 14-day standby time and a talk time of 14 hours on 4G. The TCL Go Flip 2 is on sale via Amazon and is priced just under the $100 mark.
Cat S22 Flip
Did you know that the heavy equipment manufacturer Cat (short for Caterpillar) has been trying its hand at making mobile phones for well over a decade now? Now, to be honest, the company itself did not make Cat-branded devices and has outsourced the mobile phone manufacturing business to British consumer electronic company Bullitt Mobile. Cat's smartphones were known for their tough nature, and devices like the Cat S60 and its successors evoked an interesting response from the market.
An interesting product in Cat's current portfolio is the Cat S22 Flip, which is the company's first flip-style smartphone. We did say smartphone because, unlike the rest of the phones on this list, the Cat S22 Flip actually runs Android (albeit an older version). The Cat S22 Flip gets the same internal display size as the rest of the handsets listed here—except it gets double the resolution (480 x 640 pixels). The secondary external display measured 1.44 inches across.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 chip powers the Cat S22 Flip, which has 16GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM. Like other Cat smartphones, the S22 Flip is also IP68 and MIL-SPEC 810H compliant.
The phone's camera setup includes a 5MP main camera and a 2MP secondary camera. The handset also supports 4G networks and comes with a large 2,000 mAh battery. What is truly surprising, however, is its price, which has been hovering around the $65 mark on Amazon for a while now.