Flip phones in 2025: What to know before buying one

More and more people are looking into flip phones. Different people want them for different reasons. I've seen them referred to as "dumb phones," meaning a phone that cannot do as much as a newer phone or is less convenient to use, with the purpose of decreasing the time you spend on your phone. That is one reason some people get one, or maybe you are like me and got one for nostalgic reasons. Not to mention that I actually missed a physical keyboard. Changing between languages, where one has more letters in the alphabet than the other, is quite frustrating for me at times. I am not sure why I suck at writing on phone QWERTY keyboards, but when they change size to allow space for more letters, it makes it even harder.

In this blog post, I want to share what I learned when I researched what phone to get.

Android version & downloading apps

To start with, I want to go into one of the main things that stopped me from buying multiple phones that I liked: the Android version. It might not seem like something important, but it is if you want apps and app security on the phone.

During my research, I learned that if you want to have Google Play Store, then it matters what Android version you have. As of the time of this post (February 2025), the oldest Android version that supports Google Play Store is Android 6. Google Play Store is not supported on older versions. This means that if you have an older version, you need to download the app as an APK file. This will give you an older version of the app that is supported on your Android version. The downside of this is that newer apps will not be available, and none of the security updates made to protect your phone since that app version will be available.

I had an older tablet that was getting slower and took a while to charge, but apart from that, it worked fine, and I wasn't planning to get a new one until I wanted some newer apps, and they weren’t available because it had Android 8. Even if you can have Google Play Store on the phone/tablet, it doesn’t mean all apps will be available for older Android versions. So I had to get another tablet with a newer Android version so I could use it for what I needed.

Just because you can have Google Play Store on Android 6, I don't recommend getting an Android 6 or even 7—not if you want to be able to use it for longer. A new Android version is released every year, so it is only a matter of time before they discontinue Google Play Store on Android 6 as well.

Data and Network (4G, LTE, VoLTE)

When looking at newer or older flip phones, you’ll often see terms like 4G, LTE, and VoLTE—but what do they actually mean? 4G is the fourth generation of mobile networks, offering faster data speeds than the older 3G. LTE (Long-Term Evolution) is a type of 4G that improves speed and reliability, but not all LTE networks support voice calls. That’s where VoLTE (Voice over LTE) comes in. It allows you to make phone calls over LTE (4G) instead of dropping down to 3G for calls. This is important because many mobile networks are shutting down 3G networks, meaning a phone without VoLTE might struggle to make regular calls. When choosing a flip phone, make sure it supports VoLTE so you can make calls on 4G networks without issues.

Which phones are popular

So let's look at a couple of popular phones I liked and why I did not go with one of them.

Samsung Galaxy Folder 2 I thought this phone was the best-looking one I saw, and it was especially cute in white. However, looking at the information above, it simply wouldn't be a good choice, and here’s why.

It has Android 6, which means although you can still use Google Play Store on it, it will soon no longer be available to use.

Both models available for this phone have 4G LTE, so it has 4G for data, but since it doesn't support VoLTE, the phone cannot make phone calls on a 4G network provider. Even if your network still hasn’t shut down all its 3G networks, it will be unreliable.

LG Wine Smart D486

This is another cute flip phone, but unfortunately, it is worse than the Samsung as it only has Android 5. This means it already doesn't support Google Play Store, and if you want any apps, you will have to get them as APK files.

It also only has 4G LTE, and just like the Samsung, it will not be able to make phone calls without a 3G network.

The phone I went for

So let's get into the phone I went for: Mode1 RETRO II. This is a Japanese phone, and of course, I will admit that it was easier for me to get since I live in Japan.

I chose this phone because it was a flip phone with Android 13 and 4G VoLTE. So I knew I would be able to use it for longer than any of the other flip phones I looked at.

Some other benefits this phone had that I liked were a fingerprint scanner on the side to unlock it, charging with USB-C, and dual SIM.

The phone came in black and white. However, this is only the outside. The inside is gold on both of them. This, for me, was a negative, and had I only selected the phone I thought looked best, then this would not have won.

I started out getting the white one, but after two weeks, there was a software issue, and I returned it for a refund. When I had to reorder it, I went with the black instead. After only having the white one for two weeks, it was already discolouring, as the material is like artificial leather. Since getting the black one, I haven't had any issues with the phone or the colour.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, if you want a dumb phone to reduce your screen time, the Android version might not matter as much if you don’t need many apps. However, it would still need to support VoLTE because if you have to carry your regular smartphone just to make calls, it kind of defeats the purpose.

On the other hand, if you just want to use it at home for fun on WiFi, then go for the phone you like. That said, I would always recommend checking which Android version you need for the apps you want—whether through Google Play Store or APK—before buying the phone. What’s the point of getting a phone for WhatsApp if it’s too old to support it?

I don't use my flip phone all the time. Sometimes, I prefer my regular smartphone, but I still think it's fun to use now and then.