u/Fatter_Design

I never intended to "collect" android flip phones, I always just wanted one "perfect" device that would just work for me, preferably forever.

But every time some issues, problems and obstacles popped up, that you can't just fix on software level, by installing apps, debloating or ignoring, the only way to move forward seemed to be "just by a different phone!" But with trying new and different phones as daily drivers, also came experience and understanding of difference between a problem and and "inconvenience". And how sometimes upgrading is actually downgrading and vice versa.

So there they go, from left to right.

• Samsung Galaxy Folder 2.

Easy 9/10, my first, and probably the best phone so far. The more I use other phones, the more I understand that I never needed anything else really. After a few months of usage, because it was cheap refurbished version (with genuine internal hardware) the phone's body started to fall apart - paint flaked, logo letters fell off, it got scratched all over, the top lid panel started to peel, basically the phone in a couple of months started to look like I've been using it for years.

I got pretty frustrated and bough Cat s22.

In retrospect all of that is easily fixable with a simple singular solution - a case. Korean +LOOK plastic case hid 99% of visual defects and made Folder 2 look real nice, sleek and Y2K.

Functionality-wise? The phone is almost perfect. Android 7.1 sounds ancient, but everything I personally need just works on it. It has no dark mode, but guess what, my newest latest the most modern phone also doesn't have dark mode. Was it a fad? Or am I cursed? It's not a big deal. If your phone hurts your eyes, it's high time to put it down for today.

The only real "issue" with Folder 2 is the lack of outer screen. I can't check the time or see who's calling without opening it. That's it, that's the contra. It's an amazing phone.

If you're thinking of downgrading and want a cheap option, consider Samsung Galaxy Folder 2 (and a case). Most apps will work on Android 7, and if they don't you can find older versions or alternatives.

• Cat s22

Went from 10/10 to 5/10 tragically fast.

It does have outer screen that shows time and caller ID, you can use global dark mode, and its body is very resilient to everyday usage and damage, but there are so many problems that Folder 2 simply doesn't have.

1. Infamous double click issue. You can partially fix it with TT9 and more deliberate pressing, but it never fully goes away and apparently it's present in 90% of these phones, including mine. I hate it.
2. Shared storage option is broken. You see, the phone only comes with 16GB storage. And in android 11 you can't just install apps to SD card. You need to format it for shared storage. And in Cat s22 this function is broken. Your apps will stop working, your photos will disappear, the phone will shit and piss itself at the most randomest times. But wait, you say, Folder 2 also has only 16GB storage and you can't use shared storage option! True, but in Android 7.1 you can just install apps to SD card. Straight up. Put in 64GB card and install junk on it and you're good. Sure these apps will work slower, but if it's not messenger or real essential app, who cares? You'll just wait extra couple of seconds before the map loads up, no big deal, you're using a flip phone anyway. On Cat s22? You only have 16GB for apps, case closed. Oh and of course it's really only 8GB, because the OS takes half of the storage.
3. Ungodly 4:3 screen resolution. Like ok, small screen is fine, you can increase/decrease pixel density and font size and what not, but 4:3 means a lot of apps will straight up appear broken or misaligned or partially off-screen. Yes, you can mitigate it with pixel density in dev options, but it's still a real issue. I love 4:3 in movies and video games, but not on phone.
4. Weird Android 11 GO limitations that break cursor apps.
5. Horrible default launcher with poor d-pad support, almost invisible cursor and very limited customization.

I really tried to love this phone, but it didn't love me back. So I decided to downgrade.

• Sharp Aquos Kantan 10 / Sharp Aquos Keitai 3

They're basically the same phone, even their batteries and back covers and interchangeable.

Went from 9/10 to 6/10, and not because the phone is bad.

So the issue with these phones is very low end hardware. They can handle messengers and basic apps like weather, calendars or music players, but when it comes to something more involved like maps, marketplaces, parcel apps, QR code scanning/generation, they start to struggle real hard.

1GB ram is just not taken into consideration, when modern apps are coded. Even if they should theoretically work with 256MB ram, nobody cares, they are loaded with standard libraries, scripts, unoptimized assets, so these phones just can't handle it.

Waiting 5 minutes for delivery app to load up, just for it to crash is just too much trouble.

If you can live without these apps, japanese phones are fantastic.

• Samsung w2018

10/10 smartphone. 1/10 dumbphone.

Yeah it's absolutely exceptional, except it enables doomscrolling like any old slabphone. The ability to transform from a normal smartphone into a flipphone with physical keypad is very cool and functional, but it gives you zero friction, zero inconvenience. Fast hardware, fast fingerprint scanner, fast software, means the moment you touch the thing you're in, you're in the zone instantly.

I mean it even has NFC and wireless charging, it's a smartphone, it won't dumb down your life, it will dumb down you.

• Alt Mive Style Folder 2

8/10 my current daily driver.

This is basically what Samsung Galaxy Folder 3 should be, or would be if it existed.

Still no dark mode for whatever reason, still very Y2K with +LOOK cases. Or you can use clear case if you like phone's natural color. I don't think its body would fall apart of course, but I don't wanna scratch or dent it more than necessary.

It has working shared storage option, but 32GB internal storage is more than enough for me.

It has working outer screen, so that one issue with Folder 2 is fixed.

Buuut in some aspects it's worse.

Android 14 is ugly piece of shit and much less free and flexible than 7.

No replaceable battery.

It's too wide. Why is it wider than Galaxy Folder 2 and Mive Folder 1? These extra millimeters make it less comfortable to hold and use. I suspect it has to do with hardware and battery, because with light use I spend about ~20%-25% of battery per day. Of course I debloated the thing, but I still didn't expect battery to last this long. So ehhh. I'd trade some mAh for narrower frame.

For a 2025 phone they sure could have make screen to not be 16:9. Sure it's not Cat's 4:3, but still some apps don't like it.

Outer screen placing is weird. Why it's on the bottom of the lid? It should be in the center. Maybe it's a design thing but I don't dig it. Also can't change wallpaper for it. Of all things Cat s22 allowed you to change outer screen wallpaper, crazy huh.

Default native Launcher is ok, but it's worse than Galaxy Folder 2. Less customization, can't change or edit a lot of things, like grid, icon size, font style.

Can't change default notification sound to your own MP3? What?

• Conclusion?

At this point I think I will never find "perfect" phone, there will always be concessions to make and inconveniences to deal with. If I had all this experience back in the day, I'd just stick with Galaxy Folder 2 and used a case with it, until Mive Folder 2 popped up. And it's a side-grade more than an upgrade, you mostly trade one thing for another. Outer screen for less comfortable shape, long battery life for being replaceable, USB-C for much better looking Android 7, storage shenanigans for straight SD install etc etc.

And it's also 2 times more expensive, but the price is justified I think. It's a modern phone, it's not refurbished, and it's still ~$200 which is a price range or two lower than hipster phones like Light Phone Flip or Minimal Phone or upcoming Commodore Callback.

TTfone 990 though looks like nice competition, with better hardware, no google and more open-ended supports, but I'm 100% sure that even if I get it, I'll find a million small things to be dissatisfied with.

So I think I'll settle for two Folders for now, because it's impossible to find actual "perfection".

I never intended to "collect" android flip phones, I always just wanted one "perfect" device that would just work for me, preferably forever.

But every time some issues, problems and obstacles popped up, that you can't just fix on software level, by installing apps, debloating or ignoring, the only way to move forward seemed to be "just by a different phone!" But with trying new and different phones as daily drivers, also came experience and understanding of difference between a problem and and "inconvenience". And how sometimes upgrading is actually downgrading and vice versa.

So there they go, from left to right.

• Samsung Galaxy Folder 2.

Easy 9/10, my first, and probably the best phone so far. The more I use other phones, the more I understand that I never needed anything else really. After a few months of usage, because it was cheap refurbished version (with genuine internal hardware) the phone's body started to fall apart - paint flaked, logo letters fell off, it got scratched all over, the top lid panel started to peel, basically the phone in a couple of months started to look like I've been using it for years.

I got pretty frustrated and bough Cat s22.

In retrospect all of that is easily fixable with a simple singular solution - a case. Korean +LOOK plastic case hid 99% of visual defects and made Folder 2 look real nice, sleek and Y2K.

Functionality-wise? The phone is almost perfect. Android 7.1 sounds ancient, but everything I personally need just works on it. It has no dark mode, but guess what, my newest latest the most modern phone also doesn't have dark mode. Was it a fad? Or am I cursed? It's not a big deal. If your phone hurts your eyes, it's high time to put it down for today.

The only real "issue" with Folder 2 is the lack of outer screen. I can't check the time or see who's calling without opening it. That's it, that's the contra. It's an amazing phone.

If you're thinking of downgrading and want a cheap option, consider Samsung Galaxy Folder 2 (and a case). Most apps will work on Android 7, and if they don't you can find older versions or alternatives.

• Cat s22

Went from 10/10 to 5/10 tragically fast.

It does have outer screen that shows time and caller ID, you can use global dark mode, and its body is very resilient to everyday usage and damage, but there are so many problems that Folder 2 simply doesn't have.

1. Infamous double click issue. You can partially fix it with TT9 and more deliberate pressing, but it never fully goes away and apparently it's present in 90% of these phones, including mine. I hate it.
2. Shared storage option is broken. You see, the phone only comes with 16GB storage. And in android 11 you can't just install apps to SD card. You need to format it for shared storage. And in Cat s22 this function is broken. Your apps will stop working, your photos will disappear, the phone will shit and piss itself at the most randomest times. But wait, you say, Folder 2 also has only 16GB storage and you can't use shared storage option! True, but in Android 7.1 you can just install apps to SD card. Straight up. Put in 64GB card and install junk on it and you're good. Sure these apps will work slower, but if it's not messenger or real essential app, who cares? You'll just wait extra couple of seconds before the map loads up, no big deal, you're using a flip phone anyway. On Cat s22? You only have 16GB for apps, case closed. Oh and of course it's really only 8GB, because the OS takes half of the storage.
3. Ungodly 4:3 screen resolution. Like ok, small screen is fine, you can increase/decrease pixel density and font size and what not, but 4:3 means a lot of apps will straight up appear broken or misaligned or partially off-screen. Yes, you can mitigate it with pixel density in dev options, but it's still a real issue. I love 4:3 in movies and video games, but not on phone.
4. Weird Android 11 GO limitations that break cursor apps.
5. Horrible default launcher with poor d-pad support, almost invisible cursor and very limited customization.

I really tried to love this phone, but it didn't love me back. So I decided to downgrade.

• Sharp Aquos Kantan 10 / Sharp Aquos Keitai 3

They're basically the same phone, even their batteries and back covers and interchangeable.

Went from 9/10 to 6/10, and not because the phone is bad.

So the issue with these phones is very low end hardware. They can handle messengers and basic apps like weather, calendars or music players, but when it comes to something more involved like maps, marketplaces, parcel apps, QR code scanning/generation, they start to struggle real hard.

1GB ram is just not taken into consideration, when modern apps are coded. Even if they should theoretically work with 256MB ram, nobody cares, they are loaded with standard libraries, scripts, unoptimized assets, so these phones just can't handle it.

Waiting 5 minutes for delivery app to load up, just for it to crash is just too much trouble.

If you can live without these apps, japanese phones are fantastic.

• Samsung w2018

10/10 smartphone. 1/10 dumbphone.

Yeah it's absolutely exceptional, except it enables doomscrolling like any old slabphone. The ability to transform from a normal smartphone into a flipphone with physical keypad is very cool and functional, but it gives you zero friction, zero inconvenience. Fast hardware, fast fingerprint scanner, fast software, means the moment you touch the thing you're in, you're in the zone instantly.

I mean it even has NFC and wireless charging, it's a smartphone, it won't dumb down your life, it will dumb down you.

• Alt Mive Style Folder 2

8/10 my current daily driver.

This is basically what Samsung Galaxy Folder 3 should be, or would be if it existed.

Still no dark mode for whatever reason, still very Y2K with +LOOK cases. Or you can use clear case if you like phone's natural color. I don't think its body would fall apart of course, but I don't wanna scratch or dent it more than necessary.

It has working shared storage option, but 32GB internal storage is more than enough for me.

It has working outer screen, so that one issue with Folder 2 is fixed.

Buuut in some aspects it's worse.

Android 14 is ugly piece of shit and much less free and flexible than 7.

No replaceable battery.

It's too wide. Why is it wider than Galaxy Folder 2 and Mive Folder 1? These extra millimeters make it less comfortable to hold and use. I suspect it has to do with hardware and battery, because with light use I spend about ~20%-25% of battery per day. Of course I debloated the thing, but I still didn't expect battery to last this long. So ehhh. I'd trade some mAh for narrower frame.

For a 2025 phone they sure could have make screen to not be 16:9. Sure it's not Cat's 4:3, but still some apps don't like it.

Outer screen placing is weird. Why it's on the bottom of the lid? It should be in the center. Maybe it's a design thing but I don't dig it. Also can't change wallpaper for it. Of all things Cat s22 allowed you to change outer screen wallpaper, crazy huh.

Default native Launcher is ok, but it's worse than Galaxy Folder 2. Less customization, can't change or edit a lot of things, like grid, icon size, font style.

Can't change default notification sound to your own MP3? What?

• Conclusion?

At this point I think I will never find "perfect" phone, there will always be concessions to make and inconveniences to deal with. If I had all this experience back in the day, I'd just stick with Galaxy Folder 2 and used a case with it, until Mive Folder 2 popped up. And it's a side-grade more than an upgrade, you mostly trade one thing for another. Outer screen for less comfortable shape, long battery life for being replaceable, USB-C for much better looking Android 7, storage shenanigans for straight SD install etc etc.

And it's also 2 times more expensive, but the price is justified I think. It's a modern phone, it's not refurbished, and it's still ~$200 which is a price range or two lower than hipster phones like Light Phone Flip or Minimal Phone or upcoming Commodore Callback.

TTfone 990 though looks like nice competition, with better hardware, no google and more open-ended supports, but I'm 100% sure that even if I get it, I'll find a million small things to be dissatisfied with.

So I think I'll settle for two Folders for now, because it's impossible to find actual "perfection".

I never intended to "collect" android flip phones, I always just wanted one "perfect" device that would just work for me, preferably forever.

But every time some issues, problems and obstacles popped up, that you can't just fix on software level, by installing apps, debloating or ignoring, the only way to move forward seemed to be "just by a different phone!" But with trying new and different phones as daily drivers, also came experience and understanding of difference between a problem and and "inconvenience". And how sometimes upgrading is actually downgrading and vice versa.

So there they go, from left to right.

• Samsung Galaxy Folder 2.

Easy 9/10, my first, and probably the best phone so far. The more I use other phones, the more I understand that I never needed anything else really. After a few months of usage, because it was cheap refurbished version (with genuine internal hardware) the phone's body started to fall apart - paint flaked, logo letters fell off, it got scratched all over, the top lid panel started to peel, basically the phone in a couple of months started to look like I've been using it for years.

I got pretty frustrated and bough Cat s22.

In retrospect all of that is easily fixable with a simple singular solution - a case. Korean +LOOK plastic case hid 99% of visual defects and made Folder 2 look real nice, sleek and Y2K.

Functionality-wise? The phone is almost perfect. Android 7.1 sounds ancient, but everything I personally need just works on it. It has no dark mode, but guess what, my newest latest the most modern phone also doesn't have dark mode. Was it a fad? Or am I cursed? It's not a big deal. If your phone hurts your eyes, it's high time to put it down for today.

The only real "issue" with Folder 2 is the lack of outer screen. I can't check the time or see who's calling without opening it. That's it, that's the contra. It's an amazing phone.

If you're thinking of downgrading and want a cheap option, consider Samsung Galaxy Folder 2 (and a case). Most apps will work on Android 7, and if they don't you can find older versions or alternatives.

• Cat s22

Went from 10/10 to 5/10 tragically fast.

It does have outer screen that shows time and caller ID, you can use global dark mode, and its body is very resilient to everyday usage and damage, but there are so many problems that Folder 2 simply doesn't have.

1. Infamous double click issue. You can partially fix it with TT9 and more deliberate pressing, but it never fully goes away and apparently it's present in 90% of these phones, including mine. I hate it.
2. Shared storage option is broken. You see, the phone only comes with 16GB storage. And in android 11 you can't just install apps to SD card. You need to format it for shared storage. And in Cat s22 this function is broken. Your apps will stop working, your photos will disappear, the phone will shit and piss itself at the most randomest times. But wait, you say, Folder 2 also has only 16GB storage and you can't use shared storage option! True, but in Android 7.1 you can just install apps to SD card. Straight up. Put in 64GB card and install junk on it and you're good. Sure these apps will work slower, but if it's not messenger or real essential app, who cares? You'll just wait extra couple of seconds before the map loads up, no big deal, you're using a flip phone anyway. On Cat s22? You only have 16GB for apps, case closed. Oh and of course it's really only 8GB, because the OS takes half of the storage.
3. Ungodly 4:3 screen resolution. Like ok, small screen is fine, you can increase/decrease pixel density and font size and what not, but 4:3 means a lot of apps will straight up appear broken or misaligned or partially off-screen. Yes, you can mitigate it with pixel density in dev options, but it's still a real issue. I love 4:3 in movies and video games, but not on phone.
4. Weird Android 11 GO limitations that break cursor apps.
5. Horrible default launcher with poor d-pad support, almost invisible cursor and very limited customization.

I really tried to love this phone, but it didn't love me back. So I decided to downgrade.

• Sharp Aquos Kantan 10 / Sharp Aquos Keitai 3

They're basically the same phone, even their batteries and back covers and interchangeable.

Went from 9/10 to 6/10, and not because the phone is bad.

So the issue with these phones is very low end hardware. They can handle messengers and basic apps like weather, calendars or music players, but when it comes to something more involved like maps, marketplaces, parcel apps, QR code scanning/generation, they start to struggle real hard.

1GB ram is just not taken into consideration, when modern apps are coded. Even if they should theoretically work with 256MB ram, nobody cares, they are loaded with standard libraries, scripts, unoptimized assets, so these phones just can't handle it.

Waiting 5 minutes for delivery app to load up, just for it to crash is just too much trouble.

If you can live without these apps, japanese phones are fantastic.

• Samsung w2018

10/10 smartphone. 1/10 dumbphone.

Yeah it's absolutely exceptional, except it enables doomscrolling like any old slabphone. The ability to transform from a normal smartphone into a flipphone with physical keypad is very cool and functional, but it gives you zero friction, zero inconvenience. Fast hardware, fast fingerprint scanner, fast software, means the moment you touch the thing you're in, you're in the zone instantly.

I mean it even has NFC and wireless charging, it's a smartphone, it won't dumb down your life, it will dumb down you.

• Alt Mive Style Folder 2

8/10 my current daily driver.

This is basically what Samsung Galaxy Folder 3 should be, or would be if it existed.

Still no dark mode for whatever reason, still very Y2K with +LOOK cases. Or you can use clear case if you like phone's natural color. I don't think its body would fall apart of course, but I don't wanna scratch or dent it more than necessary.

It has working shared storage option, but 32GB internal storage is more than enough for me.

It has working outer screen, so that one issue with Folder 2 is fixed.

Buuut in some aspects it's worse.

Android 14 is ugly piece of shit and much less free and flexible than 7.

No replaceable battery.

It's too wide. Why is it wider than Galaxy Folder 2 and Mive Folder 1? These extra millimeters make it less comfortable to hold and use. I suspect it has to do with hardware and battery, because with light use I spend about ~20%-25% of battery per day. Of course I debloated the thing, but I still didn't expect battery to last this long. So ehhh. I'd trade some mAh for narrower frame.

For a 2025 phone they sure could have make screen to not be 16:9. Sure it's not Cat's 4:3, but still some apps don't like it.

Outer screen placing is weird. Why it's on the bottom of the lid? It should be in the center. Maybe it's a design thing but I don't dig it. Also can't change wallpaper for it. Of all things Cat s22 allowed you to change outer screen wallpaper, crazy huh.

Default native Launcher is ok, but it's worse than Galaxy Folder 2. Less customization, can't change or edit a lot of things, like grid, icon size, font style.

Can't change default notification sound to your own MP3? What?

• Conclusion?

At this point I think I will never find "perfect" phone, there will always be concessions to make and inconveniences to deal with. If I had all this experience back in the day, I'd just stick with Galaxy Folder 2 and used a case with it, until Mive Folder 2 popped up. And it's a side-grade more than an upgrade, you mostly trade one thing for another. Outer screen for less comfortable shape, long battery life for being replaceable, USB-C for much better looking Android 7, storage shenanigans for straight SD install etc etc.

And it's also 2 times more expensive, but the price is justified I think. It's a modern phone, it's not refurbished, and it's still ~$200 which is a price range or two lower than hipster phones like Light Phone Flip or Minimal Phone or upcoming Commodore Callback.

TTfone 990 though looks like nice competition, with better hardware, no google and more open-ended supports, but I'm 100% sure that even if I get it, I'll find a million small things to be dissatisfied with.

So I think I'll settle for two Folders for now, because it's impossible to find actual "perfection".

There is a lot of info about this model, so here I'm trying to put up things others either didn't post about or didn't elaborate enough (or I couldn't find).

• It can record calls, silently, with no announcement. By default this option is off, but you can enable it in the default Phone app settings. I think it's illegal in some countries, so use at your own risk.
• You can disable roaming/double clock on lock screen in roaming options.
• Phone supports Lockscreen Widgets app. https://github.com/zacharee/LockscreenWidgets/
• You can map outer/SOS button to absolutely anything with any Keymapper app. But it will only work when the phone is opened. When closed, outer button cycles through outer screen modes.
• Outer screen has 3 modes - clock, pedometer and music player. 3rd party music player apps are supported, but displayed text can be misaligned and difficult to read. Still better functionality than Cat s22. Can't change outer screen wallpaper though.
• Outer screen has the exact same dimensions as Redmi Watch 3 Active. I dunno if it's standard smart watch dimensions or what, but they're 1:1 meaning protective films for this watch model match outer screen perfectly.
• Phone supports expanded storage mode for SD cards, but accessing it from outside the phone is basically impossible. So if you wanna load your music from your PC, you won't be able to. At least not easily. So I chose to use external storage mode.
• Hard +LOOK cases, that you can buy pretty much everywhere, look metallic, and you might assume they are metallic going by the price, but they are in fact plastic. So don't expect them to prevent any serious damage from bad falls or strong impacts. They're mostly for aesthetic change and defense from light scratches and everyday use. On the flip (hue) side they are quite light and won't make the phone noticeably heavier.
• Charm slot is present! It's quite robust but hard to use. It can handle the phone's weight+case, but don't pull it if you're wearing real tight jeans.
• THERE IS NO DARK MODE. You might assume that you can somehow enable it or install a 3rd part app, but no, you can't. It's removed on manufacturer's level. Even with the latest software update it's not present. You can force the option in developer options and/or run ADB command, but it will do nothing. There are ways to partially mitigate it, but each one comes with its own problems and hiccups. 3rd part notification shade/control panel apps work with touch screen, but ignore keypad and C9 cursor app for example. Some system apps have their own dark mode (gallery), some don't (file manager).
• Default launcher is functional but has very limited customization - you can't change grid size, no icon pack or theme support, you can't hide apps in the drawer. You can still use apps like Shortcut Maker or X-icon Changer to change icons without switching launchers. KaiOS Launcher works pretty good with this phone, but doesn't support widgets.
• Some sites and marketplaces state that this phone supports 2G, it DOES NOT. It only supports 3G and 4G/LTE. I can't figure out if it supports VoLTE or not, if there is a sure way to test it, let me know.

I think that's it. Other info was posted by other people already, so no reason to parrot it.

And honestly, after using W2018, this thing does feel super dumb. You can't tell me that it's a full smartphone just because it runs android. It's slow, it's clunky, it has pre-iPhone ergonomics, it is absolutely not the same thing as 4 times faster slabphone that can read your mind with predictive AI, auto organize your day, drive your car for you and what not.

If you wanna dumb down your life, while having access to commodity apps, like messengers, stores, parcel and taxy services, but without turning device into a part of your body, these phones are the ticket.

I wanna try TT990 too, but I'll wait for more reviews and see if it has any long-term issues, that will (or will not) pop up in at least few months.

There is a lot of info about this model, so here I'm trying to put up things others either didn't post about or didn't elaborate enough (or I couldn't find).

• It can record calls, silently, with no announcement. By default this option is off, but you can enable it in the default Phone app settings. I think it's illegal in some countries, so use at your own risk.
• You can disable roaming/double clock on lock screen in roaming options.
• Phone supports Lockscreen Widgets app. https://github.com/zacharee/LockscreenWidgets/
• You can map outer/SOS button to absolutely anything with any Keymapper app. But it will only work when the phone is opened. When closed, outer button cycles through outer screen modes.
• Outer screen has 3 modes - clock, pedometer and music player. 3rd party music player apps are supported, but displayed text can be misaligned and difficult to read. Still better functionality than Cat s22. Can't change outer screen wallpaper though.
• Outer screen has the exact same dimensions as Redmi Watch 3 Active. I dunno if it's standard smart watch dimensions or what, but they're 1:1 meaning protective films for this watch model match outer screen perfectly.
• Phone supports expanded storage mode for SD cards, but accessing it from outside the phone is basically impossible. So if you wanna load your music from your PC, you won't be able to. At least not easily. So I chose to use external storage mode.
• Hard +LOOK cases, that you can buy pretty much everywhere, look metallic, and you might assume they are metallic going by the price, but they are in fact plastic. So don't expect them to prevent any serious damage from bad falls or strong impacts. They're mostly for aesthetic change and defense from light scratches and everyday use. On the flip (hue) side they are quite light and won't make the phone noticeably heavier.
• Charm slot is present! It's quite robust but hard to use. It can handle the phone's weight+case, but don't pull it if you're wearing real tight jeans.
• THERE IS NO DARK MODE. You might assume that you can somehow enable it or install a 3rd part app, but no, you can't. It's removed on manufacturer's level. Even with the latest software update it's not present. You can force the option in developer options and/or run ADB command, but it will do nothing. There are ways to partially mitigate it, but each one comes with its own problems and hiccups. 3rd part notification shade/control panel apps work with touch screen, but ignore keypad and C9 cursor app for example. Some system apps have their own dark mode (gallery), some don't (file manager).
• Default launcher is functional but has very limited customization - you can't change grid size, no icon pack or theme support, you can't hide apps in the drawer. You can still use apps like Shortcut Maker or X-icon Changer to change icons without switching launchers. KaiOS Launcher works pretty good with this phone, but doesn't support widgets.
• Some sites and marketplaces state that this phone supports 2G, it DOES NOT. It only supports 3G and 4G/LTE. I can't figure out if it supports VoLTE or not, if there is a sure way to test it, let me know.

I think that's it. Other info was posted by other people already, so no reason to parrot it.

Is there a launcher for android phones with keypads, that will instantly go to dialer when you start entering numbers, like in old cell phones?

I tried Nova Launcher and some others, but they either start a search, instead of a dialer, or just ignore the keys altogether.

Maybe I'm just that stupid, but I can't find any info or any definitive answer to this.

So when the time comes and they pull the switch, my phone turns into a iPhone Google Edition.

But if it's not connected to wi-fi and mobile data, it obviously won't, right? Like how would they put update into it, without connection?

So before that happens, can I somehow prevent Google from pushing update into my phone?

I already disabled automatic updates in settings and developer options, but will that be enough? Is there a way to forcefully prevent any further updates? I don't care if my software becomes outdated or incompatible with something, I tend to use old/exotic/outdated phones anyway.

If I use ADB to straight up tear google play services and all associated packages out from the phone, will it help?

I know it breaks push notifications and some other functions, but I'm minimizing my screen time anyway. Is this the way?

What will YOU do? How do you guys protect your phones?

Inspired by WMP11.

Alt Mive 2 default launcher, X-icon changer, Everaldo Coelho's Crystal Project icons, Sense Clock, Smooth Calendar widgets.

Lock Screen Widgets app, Weather XL, Casse-o-player widgets for lockscreen.

Hit me with your tips and tricks for this phone.

I finally decided to downgrade from W2018, because my doom scrolling and shitposting reached unhealthy levels. I do need friction, not just buttons.

Boy is this thing limited, can't even enable dark mode, didn't expect that.

But the less I use the phone the better, right? It looks sick though, and physicality is amazing, absolutely love the buttons, the shape and the color.

These are just from the 1st episode.

Do they have a deal with TCL or something?

It's an american phone brand, that I couldn't use even if I got one.

Are they good?

Underrated art subject imho. Following are artists' pages respectively, I didn't make any of these.

1. https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/46612726

2. https://www.pixiv.net/en/users/16601961

3. https://x.com/0_skyblue

4. https://x.com/rinihimme

5. https://x.com/pixelianska

6. Unknown artist, image source is https://vectorified.com/download-image#flip-phone-icon-26.png

I keep buying these goddamn flipphones.

You only need one right? I already have 5 of them, not counting older 2G models. These, in the picture, are android phones, fully functional and usable in 2026, supporting 4G/LTE and what not. Can run messengers and social media if needed, with some quirks.

And guess what, now I'm eyeing Alt Mive Folder 2. Even though I know it will be a downgrade from my current daily driver Samsung W2018. But Sharp 805SH was also a supposed downgarde from Cat s22, but I still used it for like 6+ months.

The whole "it's a collection bruh" argument sounds like an excuse, I do not display them on a stand like action figures or something, they all are stored in a box, except the one I'm using currently.

Them being relatively cheap doesn't help. This entire picture costs less than whatever the latest iPhone does. Not even ultra pro max deluxe or whatever top end version.

Talk me out of buying another one, I want it, but I don't need it, it's some kind of mental health issue at this point.

My obsession with Moonwalker movie continues.

People usually focus on the Smooth Criminal section, but it's everything around it that intrigues me most - the chase, the transformation, the space magic implications, I can't get enough of it.

Did you see the Making of film? It has a some interesting facts as well as backstage footage, I've never seen before.

You can watch the full thing here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvG_5xiYBT8

So I ended up getting both version of the movie, relatively cheap, european region.

BD has very aggressive vertical cropping, while adding very little horizontal image. It also has weird desynch thing going on, where the sound is like half a second off. The cropped area varies from scene to scene, sometimes it's not bad, and sometimes it chops off his footwork, like in the example video.

DVD has more visual information, better sound sync, it also has 25 fps video vs 24 fps of the BD version, which is probably why sound is synced better. But image quality is worse, and colors are weird, everything has purple-ish hue. Sound quality itself is also much crisper on the BD.

I also got VHS cassette, but I don't have VHS player to watch or digitize it lol.

I know laser disk version exists, but apparently it's zoomed in and has even lower image quality than the DVD. And I couldn't find any cheap versions of it either.

We're not ever getting open matte/4k unless whoever owns the movie filme tape makes a re-scan/restoration of it, so this is all we have.

So which do you think is the definitive version?

I might or might no have been on the fence about MJ, but recent events shown how actual rich pdfs evade all the accountability and hide behind wars and UFOs, while one singing dude with vitiligo was dogged, stripped, ridiculed and driven to suicide by OD.

Was Jackson weird? You bet he was.

Was he a p3d0? Now I'm convinced that he wasn't.

r/flipphones doesn't allow videos so here I am.

I know it's not a dumbphone, but maybe this can give you some inspiration to sticker your real dumbphone's case. >!Also I wanna to show it off.!<

Do you think I overdid this? It looks so gaudy now ha ha.

I didn't expect glossy stickers to contrast against matte case's surface, but oh well, still beats its default look.

Shiny!

Finally did away with flat notification bar. Now I have all the essential info visible without it, while keeping native launcher.

Native launcher is the best for W2018 imho.

Finding signal widgets took the longest time.

I'm pretty much gave up on notification shade at this point, but I don't use it often. I could use power shade and photoshop something into background, like glass panels or fake buttons, but between expanded and collapsed state icons shit themselves shift down and it gives me a migraine, so whatever.

Contacts and dialer app is still up in the air, as I would like them to be functional with physical keyboard, and most apps aren't.

For the longest time I was searching for a skeuomorphic signal widget and couldn't find any... Because they all have been updated to be flat!

Somehow by some miracle I encountered screenshot of an older version of this particular app, and it's exactly what I've been looking for!

Of course I couldn't find it, because now it's flat and ugly. Its google store version as well as most APK site versions is 5.something, while it's version 2.70 (and earlier) that was absolutely beautiful. Starting with version 3 it became flat, with no option to use the old graphics.

Jesus christ, this is horrifying. A number of battery apps also did this, and I think some weather apps as well.

And yes using older versions means bugs, potential risks and whatever, but I refuse to put flat sh!t on my screen. Android isn't a safe OS period, so who cares. I firmly believe using old Android versions is actually safer than modern ones, but I'm not here to preach, I'm here to share an old skeuo app I found.

Now I can finally hide flat notification icons and have all technical information on screen in skeuo style! I need to rework my entire wallpaper now though.

2G GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz

3G WCDMA 900/2100 MHz

Why do you think nobody makes these for 4G and 5G networks? Not enough demand?