Old School Cell Phone that still looks awesome for today's tech age
Old school cell phone? Yes, they still look awesome and do what they were intended to do…. (They call and SMS people)
Many of us have record players and listen to music on vinyl along with our MP3s or we still shoot photos on paper, even though digital images are far easier to process and share. There are many reasons for this, from nostalgia to a genuine preference for the performance of the older technology.
Cell phones from the past decade, are also starting to find a place in people’s lives again.
Smartphones are amazing. They connect us with the world in ways we probably couldn’t even imagine just a few years ago, but they also have their downsides like fast-draining batteries, large size, and addictive habits.
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I loved my old school cell phone and some of them are still possible to find
Old school cell phone with flip
Motorola RAZR
Motorola RAZR Specs
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.49 oz (99 g) |
| Dimensions | 3.90″ x 2.10″ x 0.60 |
| Form Factor | Flip Internal Antenna |
| Camera | VGA |
| Battery Type | Li-Ion 680 mAh |
| Display | Type: TFT 2.22 |
| Year | 2004 |
| Memory | 30 MB (built-in, flash shared memory) |
If a Motorola RAZR gets flipped open in the woods and nobody is around to hear it, does it still make a sound?
Arguably the most iconic old school flip phones of all time, the Razr was a cool, compact cell phone that quickly became extremely popular all over the World.
Its slim fit was the first of its kind, and the metallic color-wave was enough to make up for its bare-bones functionality. If the Razr made a comeback, you could catch me in line for the midnight drop.
(DAAAMN since this article Motorola actually has announced, that they will release the Motorola RAZR for 2019, with a foldable touchscreen)
Get the best price here Motorola RAZR
Samsung Rugby 3
Samsung Rugby 3 Specs
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4.7 oz (133 g) |
| Dimensions | 4.10 x 2.10 x 0.80 in |
| Form Factor | Clamshell Internal Antenna |
| Camera | 3.15 MP |
| Battery Type | 1300 mAh |
| Display | Type: LCD Size: 2.4″ |
| Year | 2012 |
| Memory | 0.256 GB + microSDHC |
The phone is better than I expected. It feels fairly rugged and seems as if it could withstand a drop or two. The hinge is much more sturdy than other flip phones I’ve had.
Texting on flip phones is usually a pain, but the majority of buttons on this one make it quite a bit less painless. Perhaps one of the best features is its battery. It holds a charge like no other phone I’ve ever had.
After initially getting it, I put in my old sim and it started right up. It came with an almost fully charged battery. The box was also slightly damaged but didn’t affect the phone. So somewhere in the back of my mind, I do wonder a little if this was used before, though it was sold as new.
I don’t use the web features or the PTT, so I can just speak to its basic phone qualities. The only two things I don’t care for: one of the buttons is small enough that I often hit the “C” button and have to start over and I do not like the access piece to the charging port. Seems like that part won’t last.
It is by far my favorite flip phone, in the rugged class.
Get the best price here Samsung Rugby 3
Tkexun M2
Tkexun M2 Specs
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 6.98 oz (198 g) |
| Dimensions | 111*58*21 mm |
| Form Factor | Flip Internal Antenna |
| Camera | 5.0MP |
| Battery Type | Lithium 3200mah |
| Display | Type: LCD 3.0 inch |
| Year | 2017 |
| Memory | 32 MB (TF card up to 16GB) |
Bought the tkexun M2 for my senior father and he enjoys it. A very big phone with big buttons. He has a T-Mobile plan and the standard SIM card works with it. There were a couple of things off about it.
The 2 SIM card feature is annoying because you always see that one is missing and there are physical buttons on the phone. One for SIM 1 and one for SIM 2, he had to get is to hit the correct one.
The default ring tone was a message saying “the caller you’re trying to reach is not available” which was very confusing at first, but I was able to change it easily enough. Only 2 options for ringer and text tone.
On the texting side, I had to turn off the auto spell, it was horrible and almost unusable after I switched it to the standard option it worked fine. The charging port is also very sensitive, every time he has to make sure it’s charging correctly.
A bit high priced for what it is but it’s solid, big, and a flip phone which is what he wanted. Overall after adjusting some settings it works fine for him.
Get the best price here Tkexun M2
Jitterbug Flip
Jitterbug Flip Specs
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4.64 ounces |
| Dimensions | 4.3 x 0.7 x 2.2″ |
| Form Factor | Flip Internal Antenna |
| Camera | 2.0 MP |
| Battery Type | Lithium-ion 1,780 mAh |
| Display | Type: LCD 3.2 in |
| Year | 2017 |
| Memory | 1 GB |
Someone was really thinking when they made the Jitterbug. Many of us do not need the internet on our phone or gaming or all the distractions. This is a phone with great service, great controls such as volume, large readout, and easy.
And if you want to take pictures, it does a great job there too! I had an opportunity to call the service people twice; once for set up and once for a problem with the battery that had to be redone. They were patient and great.
Don’t use the stand because it is too easy to not get seated and drain the battery completely because of it. The cable is perfect.
Get the best price here Jitterbug Flip
Old school cell phone with swipe
Nokia 8110
Nokia 8110 Specs
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 4.2 ounces |
| Dimensions | 0.6 x 1.9 x 5.2 inches |
| Form Factor | Slide Internal Antenna |
| Camera | 2 MP |
| Battery Type | Lithium 1,500mAh. |
| Display | Type: LCD 2.4 inches |
| Year | 2018 |
| Memory | 4GB |
Nokia 8110’s operating system KaiOS, is designed specifically for super-budget feature phones like the Nokia 8110 4G while aiming to deliver some of the power of a smartphone OS.
It comes with a few pre-installed HTML apps like Twitter and Facebook, plus a handful of games, most of which are just demos and boring 2D scrollers. There’s also a strange version of Snake in which you can only turn diagonally.
Surprisingly, KaiOS also has Google Assistant, and this works as well as it does on any smartphone – although there’s no “OK, Google” detection, so you have to activate the AI by pushing a button.
All-in-all a cheap cool phone for the basic needs and with an old school retro look.
Get the best price here Nokia 8110
Nokia 8600
Nokia 8600 Specs
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 5.04 oz |
| Dimensions | 4.21 x 1.77 x 0.63″ |
| Form Factor | Slide Internal Antenna |
| Camera | 2 MP |
| Battery Type | Lithium 900mAh |
| Display | Type: LCD 2.0″ |
| Year | 2007 |
| Memory | 128 MB |
The Nokia 8600 Luna is definitely a breathtaking phone. The tempered smoked glass, resistant to scratches and smudges, is truly something that you wish to see on all phones. Build quality is definitely second to none.
However, no matter how many heads turn when you slide the beautiful Luna open, there is still the stiff keypad when typing out SMS messages.
There is also a feeling of frustration when the phone flashes a “Low Memory” It only has 128MB storage and that’s just how phones were made in 2007.
If you are looking for a showstopper this is still one of the coolest ones out there.
Get the best price here Nokia 8600
Normal old school cell phone
Nokia 8210
Nokia 8210
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 2.79 oz |
| Dimensions | 4.00 x 1.75 x 0.69 in |
| Form Factor | Standard Internal Antenna |
| Camera | N/A |
| Battery Type | Lithium 650 mAh |
| Display | Type: Monochrome graphic |
| Year | 1999 |
| Memory | N/A |
Nokia 8210 was released 20 years ago, in 1999 think about that. This old school cell phone was one of the earlier models that really kick-started Nokia in these years.
It is easy to see why Nokia 8210 was so popular. Models around this time were starting to attract the casual customer, with phones such as the Nokia 3210 and Nokia 5110 featuring changeable covers. These were initially only available in Red, Blue and Grey, but third-party manufacturers quickly filled the gap with a range of covers that made it possible to personalize the phone in a million ways.
But these phones were quite bulky and offered no size increase. At this time, one of the first premium phones was released: the Nokia 8850 featured a metallic design and came at a very high price. This phone wasn’t well supported by the networks and hence relatively few are in existence.
The Nokia 8210 can be considered the budget version of the Nokia 8850. At the time the phone was one of the smallest and lightest phones(2,7 oz) on the market and still is today.
Because of the mono screen, battery life tends to be very good: several days on a single charge, not like today’s phones that if you are lucky, will last a whole day.
Get the best price here Nokia 8210
Nokia 3310 3G
Nokia 3310 3G Specs
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.10 oz |
| Dimensions | 4.61 x 2.06 x 0.53″ |
| Form Factor | Standard Internal Antenna |
| Camera | 2 MP |
| Battery Type | Li-Ion 1200 mAh |
| Display | Type: TFT 2.4″ |
| Year | 2018 |
| Memory | 64 GB |
Ok, I did it. I have officially switched from a Smartphone (iPhone 8) to a feature phone (Nokia 3310 3G). 3 days in now and I am still functioning…
Here is the truth, I don’t need my smartphone. Yes, I said that. After months of frustration over my smartphone not performing to doing the things that I wanted to do, and having an unhealthy attachment to my smartphone.
I started to ask myself, “do I really need it”? There were things for work that I certainly needed, I have WiFi at the office and a tablet so I didn’t really need it for work.
I had the classic Nokia 3310 back in the early 2000’s when all that was available was this for a cell phone and loved it. For $55 dollars, there was really no reason to not try it out, in the name of science if nothing else.
Get the best price here Nokia 3310 3G
Topsma Military
Topsma Military Specs
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 140g |
| Dimensions | 125 x 58 x 20 mm |
| Form Factor | Standard with antenna |
| Camera | 30W |
| Battery Type | LiIon 740 mAh |
| Display | Type: LCD 2.4″ |
| Year | N/A |
| Memory | N/A |
Topsma GSM Military a cell phone with a walkie talkie design.
Most of all its in the article for the design of the phone, it’s not the best phone but as a fun gimmick or prop its perfect. It does not have a walkie talkie function, only the look of one
Waterproof, shockproof and dustproof is some of its selling points combined with a cool design.
Get the best price here Topsma Military
Sonim BOLT
Sonim BOLT Specs
| Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Weight | 5.99 oz |
| Dimensions | 4.96 x 2.28 x 1.02″ |
| Form Factor | Standard Internal Antenna |
| Camera | 2 MP |
| Battery Type | Li-Ion 1950 mAh |
| Display | Type: LCD 2.0″ |
| Year | N/A |
| Memory | 30 MB (built-in, flash shared memory) |
Sonim BOLT is a super simple, rugged phone that trades in sleek designs, lightweight, and fancy curves for functionality. If you’re going to be depending on your phone in the worst conditions possible, this thing will not fail you.
The speakers are LOUD… like I heard mine ring while I was 5 feet behind a running excavator. The buttons are crisp, and I even managed them wearing my thick leather gloves on a job site.
If you’re looking for an app store, facebook, Instagram, and all that other frilly crap, then go buy a smartphone. If you want a RUGGED phone that won’t give up on you on the job that you’ll hear no matter what’s going on around you, believe me, this is the phone.
I wouldn’t bring any other phone with me to a construction site.
Get the best price here Sonim Bolt
Old school cell phone = LOVE
I hope this article helped you a little and if you’re interested in other old school and Retro stuff, we have a lot of great ones in our Posts section.
