Topic Wiki

List of Many Flip Phones. (No smartphones)
A lot of the descriptions is my opinion.
Feel free to let me know if you differ, or if there is info missing/wrong.
Please like if this helps you.
Service plans for Flip phones-Click here.

Alcatel/TCL Go Flip (6)
Alcatel TCL Flip 2, From Tracfone or Amazon
TCL Classic 4058C, Sold on TCL
TCL Classic, From Cricket
TCL Flip Go, From UScellular
TCL Flip Go, From T-Mobile

Probably the successor to the LG Classic. $20 for the Tracfone version. Runs very well.
TAG can Kasher, Also @kosher_cellutions kashers, and there are people working on a free filter as well.

Update (9/22/22): A free talk/text filter is available. Filter with Waze (and maybe more) coming soon!

Not to be confused with the tcl 4056 phones which look the same but run KaiOs and are much buggier.

LG Exalt LTE VN220 – Verizon
•   Can be  koshered: Yes

Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)
•   ATT (3g),
•   T-Mobile (2g, bad reception)

One of the most popular flip phones. Well-known Brand. No button lag. Overall decent phone.
 No outside screen, awkward shape, delicate, suffers from durability issues
Not sold anymore. Street price is over $400.

LG Classic Flip L125 – Tracfone (DDF Topic)
•   Can be  koshered: Yes
Decent phone from a well-known manufacturer
Successor to the LG Exalt, this phone added an outside screen (!!!) and an SOS button. Camera was downgraded to 2mp from 5, and lost autofocus (think Kyocera Cadence res).  Screen and body were shrunk a little to make it a little less unwieldly to hold . . The street price of $30 is has jumped and it now hovering at about $150.

Compatible Networks;
•   Tracfone (and all Tracfone sub-carriers, like: Net10, Total Wireless, Wing and possibly more)

Koshering services;
•   http://kosherlgclassic.com/ (Talk Only $24.99 or Custom $29.99, strong)
•   http://filterlg.com/ (free, strong, but has limitation READ INSTRUCTIONS)
•   https://www.apps4flip.com/lgclassicflip/ (Remove apps with ADB, no reset protection)
•   Tag, Geder, and Meshumer locations can install a block as well

Probably the best quality phone from all the cheap (you can get it for like $30) phones, but the big limitation is that it's carrier locked to Tracfone carriers and cannot be used with normal Verizon plans or other Verizon MVNOs, Until it has active service for a year two months.

LG Wine LTE (U.S. Cellular)
Can be  koshered: Yes

Same as the LG Exalt LTE but works with ATT 4g. Not compatible with Verizon (small changes  like different messaging app and fm radio) Also not sold. Replaced by the LG Wine 2 LTE

LG Wine 2 LTE (U.S. Cellular)
Not applicable


Kyocera Cadence LTE S2720 & S2720PP
•   Can be  koshered: Yes

Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)
•   ATT (3g),
•   T-Mobile (2g, bad reception)
PP Version must be unlocked before using with Verizon Postpaid/Other Networks

Overall solid phone by somewhat reputable brand. Has an outer screen to show show who is calling, but lacks video camera & playback. Camera quality could be better. Durability is pretty good. Software update finally fixed some t9 input issues Overall solid kosherable option. Also not sold by Verizon anymore. Street price of about $250

Kyocera DuraXV LTE E-4610
•   Can be  koshered: Yes

Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)
•   ATT (3g),
•   T-Mobile (2g, bad reception)

Similar to Kyocera Cadence above but in a slightly bigger, rugged package. And added video playback capability. Great choice if you can find a good one.

Kyocera DuraXV Extreme E-4810
MSRP: $240

•   Can be  koshered: Yes

Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)
•   ATT (3g),
•   T-Mobile (4g)

Successor to the DuraXV above. More rugged, Thicker, Heavier. Now with USB-C!
Message+ Replaced with a slower clunkier messaging app.

Kazuna eTalk
•   Can be  koshered: Yes

Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)

A cheap prepaid phone made by a company that has a Chinese website. Can be purchased for under $40 but must be activated in the prepaid network to work. Has poor reviews but seems to be an okay phone/operating system. Sluggish response to key presses. Cheap build quality


Alcatel Go Flip V
MSRP: $99

•   Can be  koshered: Yes

Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)

Slow & buggy Verizon phone. Changes back to ABC instead of T9 every time you create a new message, and no way to add words to t9 dictionary. Button presses take a while to register. Poor Quality. Seems to be a bit better than the competition in the "Easy to buy straight from Verizon" category


Orbic Journey V
MSRP: $99

•   Can be  koshered: Yes

Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)

Another no-name brand with a slow buggy phone. Extremely poor quality. Avoid.


Schok Classic Flip
MSRP: $99 Available at Target

•   Can be  koshered: Yes (Tag-No, Meshimer-Yes)

Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)
•   ATT (4g),
•   T-Mobile (4g)

A large, highly compatible flip phone from a company that at least looks like its trying. Finally a viable T-Mobile option. Nice display, Impressive camera, and USB-C  docking/charging. Feels laggy and a bit buggy sometimes. A little bit more smatphone-ish than others as it has a, sometimes convoluted , Google Play store and a Virtual Mouse to input touches on apps. Software updates keep improving the phone so there is hope…

NUU Phone
Compatible Networks;
Verizon (4g)
ATT (4g)
T-Mobile (4g)
Cheap price, cheap quality. Buttons seem to wear out pretty quickly.

Alcatel Go Flip ATT  T-MOBILE
Sorry  don’t have exact models all the iterations of these.
Old version- Horrible. Contacts and calling app broken
New Version Go Flip 3- Big improvement
Has Google maps and assistant, will be removed when koshered though.
There is a cricket version that was advertised on Dansdeals.com already koshered on ebay for $60 seems to be okay.
Many many different iterations of these. Some can be filtered. Some cannot. Most are bad phones.

Coolpad Snap
4g Sprint Flip Phone. Bad Phone. Can’t be koshered

ZTE Cymbal
Different versions for Verizon prepaid and T-Mobile. Phone is Okay, Can’t be koshered, But available to buy already kosher in Lakewood.

Sonim xp3800
Compatible Networks;
Verizon (4g)
ATT (4g)
Unlocked versions available

Great phone, similar to the Kyocera DuraXV series
Can be kashered by TAG

Sunbeam
Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)
•   ATT (4g),
•   T-Mobile (4g)

Can be purchased kashered by TAG
Has a very good voice-to-text option @ $5 a month

Ans F30 Kosher
Offered by meshimer
Compatible Networks;
•   Verizon (4g)

Fig Kosher flip
Sold koshered

Nokia 6300 4G GSM
Sold koshered

Compatible Networks;
•   ATT (4g)
•   T-Mobile (4g)

Other niche options you may want to look into, and up and coming:

Keyphone  https://keyphone.tech
Mindphone  https://greentouchstore.com/pages/mind
Light phone ii $350 E-ink phone   https://www.thelightphone.com]T-Mobile
Punkt MP02    https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/

In Short (for most people)

Verizon- Find the Kyocera Cadence or Kyocera DuraXV E-4610
ATT- Schok /Alcatel Go Flip 3/Kyocera Cadence
T-Mobile- Schok /Alcatel Go Flip 3/
Sprint- Get a new service. You’re getting cheap service without a device to use it on

Site that allow you to search based on features and network -
https://dumbphones.pory.app/

Why is there so many garbage phones?
Why are the big brands reluctant to make decent phones?
Why did LG and Kyocera stop making such popular devices? 
Did Verizon ask for cheaper phones to make them more accessible? To make an even bigger profit?
And why can’t we get some normal phones like the old 3g devices? LG Revere, Samsung Gusto, etc. Durable, solid, reliable, NO BUGS! Maybe even… dare I ask for… a qwerty keyboard!
Why do people use sprint if there’s no phones?
What will happen to all the active old sprint 3g devices after T-Mobile/Sprint merger?

Full Disclosure: I currently use an LG OCTANE 3g Verizon Keyboard Phone and I love it. That’s gonna have to change by the end of 2020… but if you put things into perspective, that’s AFTER the November elections. Who knows if Trump will even be president?

I would love if someone knows the answers to some of these questions.

UPDATE: I switched to the Kyocera Cadence and overall, its pretty good.
I also have answers to my questions. To be very brief:
Real operating systems cost $$$$ and no one is willing to put in that much for a basic phone. They all use android (free) Or KaiOS (free and terrible) which dont come readily set up for a flip and have to be "stuffed in". Fulll android+cheapest hardware= Mess
Its hard for small companies to make their own phone due to the massive costs of certification approval and similar.


Author Topic: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE  (Read 481037 times)

Online Jojo202

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 630
  • Total likes: 218
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2260 on: November 15, 2022, 03:25:32 PM »
Does anyone have more input on these 3?

Sunbeam F1
Fig flip
QIN F30
If you have specific question I can help. Hard to give full run-down on all of them. Many, many pages long.

Sunbeam-Good reception not good durability. Starts quick, gets laggy if you fill it up. Long term, sorta falls apart.
Fig flip-Similar to sunbeam but different. Slighty less laggy than above. Glitchy. Also falls apart
QIN F30, Seems to also have some network issues. (Last I heard. Maybe they fixed it by now) Even less lag. Long term unknown. But the fig version seemed to also burn itself out after a while...

What service do you have?

Offline sguitarist18

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 1838
  • Total likes: 888
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
  • Location: NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2261 on: November 15, 2022, 04:34:30 PM »
I have Verizon.

Sounds like it's a bit of a toss-up between the F30 and fig flip? I do like the fact that they both have Waze, that's a definite plus.

Offline sguitarist18

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 1838
  • Total likes: 888
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
  • Location: NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2262 on: November 18, 2022, 11:43:29 AM »
OK, I ordered the Qin F30, will update with how it goes!

Online Jojo202

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 630
  • Total likes: 218
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2263 on: November 19, 2022, 06:59:40 PM »
OK, I ordered the Qin F30, will update with how it goes!
Nice please let us know. Remind me what service you are using?

Offline sguitarist18

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 1838
  • Total likes: 888
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
  • Location: NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2264 on: November 19, 2022, 07:18:44 PM »
Verizon

Offline sguitarist18

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 1838
  • Total likes: 888
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
  • Location: NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2265 on: November 19, 2022, 07:34:36 PM »
So far, getting an error message about my SIM, but the phone seems to be working.

Notes:

Only 10 speed dial slots, and ability to search for names in contact list is a bit unwieldy - you have to first tap the "search" icon, and then type in the name. Pressing buttons while in contact list does nothing, so not clear why they didn't just allow that.

Also, when setting speed dials, if a contact has more than one number, I'm not seeing an option to choose which number.

And I don't see a way to change call volume during a call, which can be painful if the guy I'm talking to is really loud. Learned this the hard way.
« Last Edit: November 19, 2022, 07:43:48 PM by sguitarist18 »

Online Jojo202

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 630
  • Total likes: 218
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2266 on: November 19, 2022, 11:57:01 PM »
So far, getting an error message about my SIM, but the phone seems to be working.
How is your reception? Did you try a long 5 min+ call?
Quote
Only 10 speed dial slots, and ability to search for names in contact list is a bit unwieldy - you have to first tap the "search" icon, and then type in the name. Pressing buttons while in contact list does nothing, so not clear why they didn't just allow that.
How about dial search? (Dialing a name using the letters on the buttons, directly from the home screen)
Quote
Also, when setting speed dials, if a contact has more than one number, I'm not seeing an option to choose which number.
Did you try setting one as default in the contact list? Or putting one above the other?
Quote
And I don't see a way to change call volume during a call, which can be painful if the guy I'm talking to is really loud. Learned this the hard way.
Did you try using the up/down directional keys/

Offline sguitarist18

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 1838
  • Total likes: 888
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
  • Location: NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2267 on: November 20, 2022, 09:51:13 AM »
Is the QIN F30 the same as the Fig F21 pro?


Reception seems good so far - I'll have a broader perspective tomorrow once I go to work (where other people sometimes have service issues).

I've made phone calls up to 22 minutes long, no issues.

Deal search - hm, works somewhat, though not perfectly. Will experiment.

Re: your speed dial and call volume suggestions, will experiment!


Offline sguitarist18

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 1838
  • Total likes: 888
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
  • Location: NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2268 on: November 22, 2022, 09:44:29 PM »
Changing the volume the way you described does work.

Still getting used to the phone, but I'm leaning towards probably keeping it, which is a huge relief compared to my last attempt (Nokia 6300).

I was very excited by the Swype for texting, which helps overcome the limitations of a teeny-tiny onscreen kepyboard.

Waze is nice to have, though the small screen makes it less useful. I tried connecting it with my car but it didn't work - I'll try fiddling with it and see if anything helps.

I wish the key's backlight went on automatically when the phone was opened. Instead, I have to first press a button.

Online Jojo202

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 630
  • Total likes: 218
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2269 on: November 23, 2022, 12:04:05 AM »
Waze is nice to have, though the small screen makes it less useful. I tried connecting it with my car but it didn't work - I'll try fiddling with it and see if anything helps.
Connecting to your car in what way?
Quote
I wish the key's backlight went on automatically when the phone was opened. Instead, I have to first press a button.
What do you mean by "opened"?

Offline mordechain

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2014
  • Posts: 670
  • Total likes: 69
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2270 on: November 23, 2022, 01:00:13 AM »
Will the qin f21 or f22 work in USA/Canada?

Offline sguitarist18

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 1838
  • Total likes: 888
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
  • Location: NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2271 on: November 23, 2022, 11:27:47 AM »
Connecting to your car in what way?What do you mean by "opened"?

Connecting via USB, smartphone can connect with Android Auto, I think, so Waze can display on the car's screen.

When I unlock the phone and the screen goes on, the keys' backlight does not go on. And even when I place a call (e.g. to voicemail, where I'll need to be pushing buttons) the buttons are not backlit until I press the first one.

Online Jojo202

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 630
  • Total likes: 218
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2272 on: November 23, 2022, 01:36:35 PM »
Connecting via USB, smartphone can connect with Android Auto, I think, so Waze can display on the car's screen.

When I unlock the phone and the screen goes on, the keys' backlight does not go on. And even when I place a call (e.g. to voicemail, where I'll need to be pushing buttons) the buttons are not backlit until I press the first one.
Does NOT support Android Auto to the best of my knowledge.
Probably nothing to do about the keys unless they decide to fix that in a software update.

Offline TzviR

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Sep 2020
  • Posts: 707
  • Total likes: 704
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 3
    • View Profile
    • [b]Learn to play for a kumzits in 5 weeks!
  • Location: Fl
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2273 on: November 23, 2022, 01:57:37 PM »
Does NOT support Android Auto to the best of my knowledge.
Probably nothing to do about the keys unless they decide to fix that in a software update.
Are there any basic phones that do support Android auto? It would make the waze much more useful.

My  prizes from CV :)

Online Jojo202

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 630
  • Total likes: 218
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2274 on: November 23, 2022, 03:09:22 PM »
Are there any basic phones that do support Android auto? It would make the waze much more useful.
Right now, no

Offline sguitarist18

  • Dansdeals Lifetime Platinum Elite
  • *******
  • Join Date: Jul 2011
  • Posts: 1838
  • Total likes: 888
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 6
    • View Profile
  • Location: NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2275 on: November 25, 2022, 07:26:49 AM »
So is the QIN F30 actually the Fig F21 pro?

Does anyone know what the warranty is? Considering it in terms of the AMEX extended warranty.

Offline jfish227

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite
  • ****
  • Join Date: Jan 2022
  • Posts: 267
  • Total likes: 125
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Chicago
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2276 on: November 25, 2022, 08:29:00 AM »
Will the qin f21 or f22 work in USA/Canada?
i have f22 pro working with tmobile but not all bands so not the best service

Online Jojo202

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 630
  • Total likes: 218
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2277 on: November 25, 2022, 10:05:22 AM »
i have f22 pro working with tmobile but not all bands so not the best service
Where are you located?

Offline jfish227

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite
  • ****
  • Join Date: Jan 2022
  • Posts: 267
  • Total likes: 125
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 1
  • Gender: Male
    • View Profile
  • Location: Chicago
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2278 on: November 27, 2022, 12:31:56 AM »

Online Jojo202

  • Dansdeals Platinum Elite + Lifetime Silver Elite
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 630
  • Total likes: 218
  • DansDeals.com Hat Tips 0
    • View Profile
  • Location: Brooklyn, NY
Re: REVIVE THE FLIP PHONE
« Reply #2279 on: November 27, 2022, 12:49:22 AM »
chicago
Is T-Mobile usually okay there?