# Commodore phone

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/commodore-phone/

5 people recommended Commodore phone in Hacker News comments, 3 had mixed feelings and 4 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 3 of 12 months, in 4 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Recommended for its cool, appealing design and Commodore 64 styling, though critics say it lacks iMessage and RCS support and that its renders were made with AI.

Summary written by Claude from 11 comments.

## Why people recommend it

- Looks cool and appealing (2 comments in the sample): "I've had a chance to buy a new Commodore phone and they are really cool, but in the end I decided against it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751361)) "the design looks a lot more appealing than the all clear cases" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49443434))
- Good idea overall (2 comments in the sample): "I thought it was a great idea in general, regardless of the renders" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49782893)) "Now, that’s a Commodore phone I can get behind." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48626297))

## What people warn about

- Seen as pointless or stupid (3 comments in the sample): "They are useless because they're identical to the customer's own phone except for the fact they say Commodore." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48625544)) "the insane decision that is the commodore phone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49180358)) "Of course the phone is stupid." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49182045))

## Other smartphones people recommend

- [Apple iPhone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone/): 438 recommend, 190 mixed, 789 criticize
- [Fairphone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fairphone/): 110 recommend, 42 mixed, 94 criticize
- [iPhone 13 mini](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone-13-mini/): 105 recommend, 32 mixed, 44 criticize
- [Apple iPhone Pro](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone-17-pro/): 90 recommend, 45 mixed, 138 criticize

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Commodore phone", https://hackerapproved.com/p/commodore-phone/ (5 recommend, 3 mixed, 4 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.