Best Dumb Phones: What Each One Can and Cannot Do
Basic 4G button phones are cheap, but HMD no longer has a US store for them. Minimalist phones cost $350 to $900 and add maps or a hotspot.
There are two kinds of dumb phone, and they suit different people. A basic feature phone makes calls, sends texts and plays Snake, and costs very little. A minimalist phone costs as much as a mid-range smartphone and adds a few chosen tools, usually maps, music or a hotspot, while leaving out the browser and social media.
We went through the makers’ own pages for both kinds. Our picks:
- A basic phone: the Nokia 3210 4G, or the HMD 3210 4G if you want no online extras at all.
- Maps and music without apps: the Mudita Kompakt at $399.
- A flip phone for the US with a hotspot and navigation: the Sunbeam F1 Pro Aspen at $359.
The 2020 version of this page listed seven phones, among them the Nokia 3310 3G, two Cat phones and the Light Phone II. Light now presents the Light Phone III and a flip phone as its range, and HMD’s catalogue has changed, so the list below is new.
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Dumb phones compared
Each cell is what the maker states. “Not listed” means the maker’s page does not mention it.
| Phone | Type | Maker’s price | Network | Hotspot | Maps | Apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HMD 3210 4G | Basic bar phone | no US price | 4G | Not listed | No | None |
| Nokia 3210 4G | Basic bar phone | ₹4,299 in India | 4G | Not listed | Not built in | Cloud shortcuts for news, weather and video |
| HMD 2660 Flip | Basic flip phone | ₹4,999 in India | 4G | Not listed | No | None |
| Sunbeam F1 Pro Aspen | Flip phone with tools | $359 | 4G | Yes | Yes, with Waze | No browser, no app store |
| Mudita Kompakt | Minimalist, E Ink screen | $399 | 4G | Not listed | Offline maps | No app store |
| Light Phone III | Minimalist | $899 | 5G and 4G | Yes | Directions | Light’s own tools only |
Basic feature phones
HMD makes the Nokia-branded button phones and now sells some under its own name. One thing has changed for American readers: HMD’s website no longer has a US section. The US address forwards to its international site, which shows the range without prices. HMD’s India store does show prices, so we use those.
Nokia 3210 4G and HMD 3210 4G
These are the same phone with one difference. HMD’s spec sheets give both a 2.4-inch screen, 4G, Bluetooth, a 2MP camera with a flash, an FM radio, a headphone jack, USB-C charging and a removable 1,450mAh battery with up to 9.8 hours of talk time. Both take two SIMs and a microSD card of up to 32GB. Both have Snake.
The Nokia version has what HMD calls its Cloud Phone Service: shortcuts to news, weather and videos. HMD’s India page describes it more broadly, as cloud-hosted shortcuts to entertainment, social networks, games and navigation, and HMD notes that the service is not available on the phone in Europe and China. The HMD 3210 4G drops it. HMD’s page for that phone says no apps, no hassle.
On HMD’s India store the Nokia 3210 4G is ₹4,299, against a list price of ₹5,299, and the page describes it as having UPI payments. Nokia 3210 4G on Amazon
HMD 2660 Flip
A flip phone with a 2.8-inch screen inside and a small one outside, 4G, big buttons and the same removable battery. HMD lists it as dust and splash resistant to IP54 and pitches it as having no social media apps. In India it is sold as the Nokia 2660 Flip 4G at ₹4,999, where HMD describes it as a flip phone with built-in UPI. Nokia 2660 Flip 4G on Amazon
Cheaper still, in India
HMD India’s feature phones start under ₹1,000 with the HMD 100, and the HMD 105 is ₹1,099. These are 2G phones for calls and texts.
Jio’s own devices page lists the JioBharat V3 at ₹799, the JioBharat V4 at ₹899 and the JioPhone Prima 2 at ₹2,799. Jio’s listings for the JioBharat V3 and J1 name JioPay for UPI, JioTV and JioChat, and say the phones are locked to the Jio network. That lock is the catch.
Before importing one to the US
Check the 4G bands with your carrier first. HMD’s band lists for the two 3210 phones name Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Mudita makes a separate North American version of its phone that adds bands 2, 4, 66 and 71, and none of those four is on HMD’s lists.
Minimalist phones
Mudita Kompakt, $399
The one minimalist phone we found simply on sale, with a US dollar price and free shipping on Mudita’s store. It has a 4.3-inch E Ink screen, 4G, and what Mudita says is up to six days of battery life.
What it can do, from Mudita’s feature list: calls and texts including picture messages, offline maps with turn-by-turn voice guidance, a music player for files you load yourself, an e-book reader, a camera, notes, a voice recorder, weather and a calculator. It has a headphone jack and a button that cuts off the microphones and the modem.
What it cannot do: there is no app store. Mudita says you can sideload Android apps from a computer, but that apps needing Google services may not work and that it does not guarantee any of them. Its feature list does not mention a hotspot.
Mudita says its tests found the phone working on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Mudita Kompakt on Amazon
Sunbeam F1 Pro Aspen, $359
Sunbeam Wireless sells one rugged flip phone, the F1 Pro, in a dozen versions, each with a different set of features switched on. The Aspen is the fullest of the ones without email.
Sunbeam’s list for the Aspen: calls, texts and picture messages, a camera, an offline music player, weather, navigation, Google’s Waze, a Wi-Fi hotspot and an authenticator for login codes. It also lists what is missing: no web browser, no social media apps, no app store and no video.
Three cautions from Sunbeam’s own pages. The phone cannot send or receive RCS messages, so group chats with RCS users need switching to MMS. It is built for North and South America and lacks the bands for much of Europe, Africa and Asia. And when we looked, every F1 Pro was on backorder and the newer F1 Horizon flip phones were out of stock. Sunbeam sells it on its own site.
Light Phone III, $899
The best-known minimalist phone and the dearest. Light describes it as an unlocked 5G and 4G phone with a camera, running its own system built around a menu of tools that you choose and manage from a website. Light’s pages list tools including directions, a hotspot, music, podcasts, notes, a calendar and an alarm, and say it will never have social media, a browser or email.
Light gives the phone’s retail value as $899. Its site was taking reservations with delivery quoted for late December. US buyers can instead take it on a two-year Light service plan at $59 a month with 1GB of data or $89 with unlimited data. Light sells it on its own site.
We would only pay this if the camera and 5G matter to you. The Mudita does maps and music for $500 less.
Not on sale yet, or out of stock
- Light Flip. Light’s flip phone, with a stated retail value of $349. It is a pre-order, with delivery quoted for the following April.
- Punkt MP02. A 4G phone with a hotspot and encrypted messaging through Punkt’s Pigeon app, listed at 299 Swiss francs. Punkt’s store shows it as out of stock, and its spec list says no further Android updates are planned.
- Minimal Phone 2. A phone with a physical keyboard, on pre-order at $599.
WhatsApp, hotspot, maps and UPI
WhatsApp. None of the makers’ pages we read promises WhatsApp on a button phone. HMD says no apps for the 3210 4G, and its India page for the Nokia version mentions shortcuts to social networks without naming one. Sunbeam’s own guide lists the lack of WhatsApp as a drawback of dumbphones. HMD’s international site shows a small touchscreen phone, the HMD Touch 4G, with its own Express Chat app for video calls and voice messages, and marks it as available only in India. If WhatsApp is essential, the honest answer is a cheap smartphone.
Hotspot. The Sunbeam F1 Pro Aspen and the Light Phone III. Sunbeam’s coverage chart ticks the hotspot on Verizon’s own plans.
Maps and GPS. The Mudita Kompakt has offline maps with voice guidance. The Sunbeam Aspen has navigation and Waze, and Sunbeam warns that Waze needs the touchscreen. The Light Phone III has a directions tool.
UPI. In India, HMD describes the Nokia 3210 4G and the Nokia 2660 Flip 4G as having UPI, and Jio lists JioPay on its JioBharat phones.
On Verizon and other US carriers
The simplest route in the US is the carrier’s own shelf. Verizon’s basic phones page lists eight models from about $75 to $250, including the TCL Flip 3 at about $100 and versions sold as voice and text only.
For an unlocked phone, Sunbeam’s chart shows the F1 Pro working on Verizon with calls, texts, picture messages and the hotspot. Mudita says the Kompakt worked on all three big networks in its tests. Punkt lists the MP02 as supported on AT&T and not on Verizon.
Which to pick
- You want calls and texts only: the HMD 3210 4G, or the Nokia 3210 4G where HMD sells it.
- You still need to find your way around: the Mudita Kompakt.
- You need a hotspot for a laptop: the Sunbeam F1 Pro Aspen.
- You are on Verizon and want it simple: one of Verizon’s own basic phones.
- You are in India and need UPI: the Nokia 3210 4G, or a JioBharat phone if you are staying on Jio.
If you find you cannot do without WhatsApp, the cheapest smartphones we found on the makers’ US stores are in our list of phones that still take a memory card.
Quick answers
What is the best dumb phone?
For a basic phone, the Nokia 3210 4G. For a minimalist phone with maps and music, the Mudita Kompakt at $399.
Is there a dumb phone with WhatsApp?
Not among the phones here. None of the makers lists WhatsApp, and Sunbeam counts its absence among the drawbacks of a dumbphone.
Which dumb phones have a hotspot?
The Sunbeam F1 Pro Aspen and the Light Phone III. Punkt’s MP02 has one too, but Punkt’s store shows it as out of stock.
Which dumb phones have GPS or maps?
The Mudita Kompakt, with offline maps, the Sunbeam F1 Pro Aspen, with Waze, and the Light Phone III, with a directions tool.
Which dumb phones work on Verizon?
Verizon sells eight basic phones itself. Among unlocked phones, Sunbeam and Mudita both say theirs work on Verizon.
What is a good dumb phone for a child?
A basic phone with no browser is the simple choice. HMD has a phones-for-kids section on its site and lists an HMD 105 4G School Edition in the UK.
Prices move, so confirm on the maker’s store before you pay.
