Gadget

*A review of the best according to the editors of expertology.ru. About selection criteria. This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Modern smartphones with their touch screens and wide capabilities have long brought push-button phones to the periphery of the market. However, they still have a prominent place in consumer demand. Today we will talk about push-button phones of the once super popular format — the so-called «clamshells». Expertology experts analyzed the market at the end of 2020 and offered our readers a selection of models that are still in demand and even have some semblance of commercial success.

Rating of the best clamshell phones

Nomination	Place	Name	Price
Best Inexpensive Flip Phones	four	F+ Flip 1	1 290 ₽
	3	F+ Flip 2	1 390 ₽
	2	F+ Ezzy Trendy1	1 490 ₽
	one	OLMIO F28	2 380 ₽
Best Mid-Range Flip Phones	four	BQ 2816 Shell	2 490 ₽
	3	Philips Xenium E255	2 990 ₽
	2	Alcatel 2053D	1 590 ₽
	one	Alcatel 3025X	2 990 ₽
Best High-Price Flip Phones	3	Wigor H3	4 490 ₽
	2	Panasonic KX-TU456RU	5 523 ₽
	one	Nokia 2720 Flip Dual sim	7 858 ₽

Best Inexpensive Flip Phones

To begin with, let’s consider a conditional category of inexpensive clamshell phones. Conditional because almost all of them are absolutely inexpensive, otherwise they would simply not stand up to any competition. Here we adopted a conditional upper bar of 2000 rubles. Of course, «Chinese» will be presented here in its purest form, but at least it is in real demand, since it fully justifies even such a small cost.

F+ Flip 1

Rating: 4.6

Let’s start with the cheapest «clamshell» brand with the characteristic name F +. Here, many see references to the once very promising Fly brand that has left the market, and there is a rational grain in such assumptions. At least, Fly’s logo is practically “licked off”, so if these are other owners, then they are definitely trying to follow the same path.

Model F + Flip 1 is available in two colors of the plastic case — black (dark gray, as you can see) or red. Case dimensions — 51.5×106.3×15.2 mm, weight — 72 g.

Despite such an affordable price, this phone supports two SIM cards. However, like all the other models presented in the review. The mode of operation, of course, is variable, and this will also be the case in all clamshell phones, which will be discussed in the article.

The screen here is color, graphic, 2.4 inches in size with a resolution of 320×240 pixels. Resolution, of course, cannot be compared with modern smartphones, even with such small screens, but in this narrow market niche, other standards apply. The corresponding pixel density is 167. We will also indicate this parameter for those models where the manufacturer provides such information, since some users really pay attention to this even in the context of this format.

Let’s go through the simple multimedia capabilities of the phone. Here you can put one of the built-in polyphonic melodies on the call. If you have a headset, you can listen to FM radio, the headset wires will work as an antenna. You can also put tracks in mp3 format on the call. For listening, the phone recognizes MP3, AAC and WAV formats. Video is recognized in 3GP, MP4, AVI formats. There is a vibrating alert, speakerphone and microphone.

There is even a simple camera with a symbolic resolution of 0.08 MPix. You can even shoot video with it, and then save it to a memory card. The maximum capacity of a memory card is 16 GB. Compatible format is microSDHC.

The built-in organizer shows the time, you can use the calendar, set an alarm. Supports wireless file transfer via Bluetooth version 2.1.

The phone is powered by a 750 mAh removable rechargeable battery. Its full charge is enough for more than three hours of continuous talk. Charging, as well as connecting to a computer, is via the microUSB socket.

F+ Flip 2

Rating: 4.7

Another F+ Flip, this is, as it were, the second generation of the model described above, but “as if”, because the difference between them is actually only visual and tactile, since almost all electronics are one-to-one the same. And at the price they are also the same, the differences may depend only on the point of sale itself. But we will still briefly analyze this option — these models are interchangeable, and as a means of communication for an elderly person or a completely inexperienced user, they will suit the same way.

Let’s start right away with the differences. The case in the F+ Flip 2 still looks better and stronger than in the «one». The build quality also inspires more confidence — when opening and closing the valves, nothing creaks, does not play, does not stagger.

The phone is larger than the previous one — 51.5×106.3×15.2 mm and heavier — 100 g. This is not a drawback, rather, on the contrary, it adds “significance” to the device. The choice of colors is the same as the previous model — black and red.

The screen specifications are exactly the same here — 2.4 inches diagonally, 320×240 pixels resolution with a density of 167 ppi. The camera is exactly the same elementary with a resolution of 0.08 megapixels. There is a built-in FM radio receiver that does not require a headset to be connected as an antenna.

In terms of communication, the phone supports two SIM cards in the same way, there are two slots for different formats — MicroSIM and MiniSIM. Memory cards up to 32 GB are also supported. An improved Bluetooth 3.0 module is installed for file transfer.

The main problem with this phone is the same as the previous one — 32 MB (namely megabytes, not gigabytes) of internal memory is sorely lacking for anything. Memory quickly runs out even from incoming SMS. Therefore, in any case, you will have to buy an additional memory card almost immediately.

F+ Ezzy Trendy1

Rating: 4.8

And another inexpensive phone in the clamshell form factor from F + — this series turned out to be successful enough to be presented in our review in three versions at once. The model has both advantages and disadvantages compared to the previous one, while the price is almost the same, or even less, depending on the point of sale.

It has the same almost plastic case, when folded the phone has dimensions of 53×100.8×19.5 mm. It weighs 89g. The keyboard feels more comfortable due to the larger size of the keys and the designations on them are larger and more contrasting, and therefore better distinguishable, which is important for older people and any other users with special needs. Available in black, silver and combinations of red and black.

The phone also supports two SIM cards of the usual miniSIM format. The coverage of the GSM communication ranges is 900 and 1800. There is a Bluetooth module, but the older version 2.1 is enough for a simple direct transfer of a melody or a photo.

The screen here is exactly the same as the previous two phones — 320×240 pixels resolution, color, size 2.4 inches. The camera, though also symbolic, is already better than the first two models — 0.3 megapixel resolution, allows you to take photos at a resolution of 640×480. Internal memory is limited to the same minimum 32 megabytes. Therefore, the same out-of-memory problem is observed in this model. It is solved by installing a flash memory card, MicroSD, MicroSDHC formats with a capacity of up to 16 GB are supported.

Additional multimedia features — listening to audio and video, built-in radio. The disadvantage is the lack of a standard 3.5 mm headphone output, and the headset is connected via the Micro USB jack.

The capacity of the removable battery in this model is higher than the previous two — 800 mAh. In the face value, the charge should be enough for 4 hours of talk time or up to 160 hours of standby. You can listen to music on a single charge for up to 20 hours, depending on the playback channel. Video viewing — up to 4 hours.

OLMIO F28

Rating: 4.9

At the end of the selection, let’s consider another clamshell phone, almost similar in characteristics to the above options. It has a drawback — a relatively good battery lasts only a day, but for those who have no problem charging it daily, the OLMIO F28 may be suitable because of its design and ergonomics. Yes, and this problem is not observed in every instance, so we can talk more about cases of factory marriage. The 12 month warranty is valid anyway.

There is a slight difference from the models described here in terms of screen size — it is slightly larger in diagonal, 2.8 inches. This is quite a bit, but on such a small scale it is already noticeable. The screen parameters are exactly the same — resolution 320×240 pixels, color. Case dimensions — 57x108x14 mm, weight is also more — 128 g. It is comfortable and tactilely pleasant in the hand. Case colors are black or silver.

This model supports two SIM cards, both micro-SIM formats. By cellular communication it works in two bands — GSM 900/1800. There is a Bluetooth module for direct file transfer. For charging and connecting to a computer, there is a Micro USB connector, but for connecting headphones there is already a separate classic 3.5 mm “minijack” jack.

The camera in this model is exactly the same as the previous one — 0.8 megapixel resolution with the same capabilities in terms of photo and video shooting. With the data storage, there is still the same problem — you need to add an external card to the available 32 megabytes of internal memory.

The battery here is removable, with a capacity of 800 mAh. According to the manufacturer, a full charge should be enough for 120 hours of standby time. In fact, there are problems described above with a fast discharge, but, again, this does not happen everywhere, although it is noticeable.

Best Mid-Range Flip Phones

Now let’s move on to the conditional category of mid-price phones in the clamshell form factor. It is not in vain that we separated this group from the previous one, since here you can already see the well-recognized Philips and Alcatel brands. Yes, even the same BQ is closer and more understandable to the mass user than F + and OLMIO.

BQ 2816 Shell

Rating: 4.6

Let’s start with BQ, as this model is the cheapest in the group. In terms of technical characteristics, it almost does not differ from the same F + Ezzy Trendy1, but this is only at first glance, since there are some important differences for the better. In appearance, it costs much more.

The dimensions of the phone case are 57.1×107.5×15.1 mm. Available in different colors — from pink to black, but the most common and commercially available is still black. The phone weighs 119 g. The case is plastic, but with a stylish design and an interesting surface texture. It is pleasant to hold it in your hands and it looks very solid despite the “toylike” nature of the format itself.

The screen parameters here are exactly the same as the previous two models from the budget selection. The screen size is slightly larger than average for this resolution — 2.8 inches, and the standard resolution is 320×240 with a dot density of 143 per inch. An important point is that there is a compact additional screen on the outside of the lid, where status indicators are displayed — discharge, unread messages, etc.

For a ringtone, built-in polyphonic melodies or audio recordings in suitable formats can be used here. There is a built-in FM radio. There is a camera with a resolution of 0.3 megapixels, you can shoot a simple video or photo for fun. There are still the same problems with data storage — the internal storage is only 32 megabytes, and you need to install a MicroSD memory card. The maximum card capacity is 32 GB. The slot is dedicated, does not intersect with slots for SIM cards. A good speed of the device provides a dedicated RAM 32 MB.

This phone also supports the alternate operation of two SIM cards of mobile operators in the MiniSIM format. The frequency range is slightly extended — GSM 900/1800/1900. For direct wireless file transfer between devices, Bluetooth version 3.0 is used. Wired connection to a computer or charger — via the USB Micro jack.

The battery capacity here is seriously higher than that of the phones described above — 1100 mAh.

Philips Xenium E255

Rating: 4.7

The next clamshell phone will already be significantly more interesting, although a number of points are “asking” for improvement. In any case, the Philips trademark itself in the name inspires a certain credit of trust, and quite deservedly so.

The appearance of the phone is quite decent, the case dimensions are 53x102x15.6 mm. Available in such basic colors — black, white, blue, red. The design is nice, the phone is comfortable and pleasant to use. Weighs 106 g.

The screen parameters are almost similar to the model described above — a display with a resolution of 240 × 320 pixels reproduces 65536 shades. The screen size in diagonal is 2.4, just a little less than the closest competitors. But otherwise, these same competitors can already compete with it with great difficulty.

So, for example, two SIM cards of mobile operators are also supported here, but the connection itself is much more confident due to the coverage of the 900, 1800, 1900, 850 MHz bands. There is even modest access to the Internet via the WAP protocol. Despite all its limitations, this technology still finds application. The Bluetooth module is not provided, it only upsets at first glance, since it is simply superfluous for many, especially the elderly.

What’s not bad is a capacious phone book with as many as 1000 numbers. Another thing is that active communication will quickly “eat up” the available built-in memory in the amount of just the same 32 megabytes. So the question of additional installation of a flash memory card is also more than relevant here.

But here there is what the target audience needs — a built-in FM radio, moreover, it does not need to connect headphones as an antenna, it works just as well through the phone’s loudspeaker. If you still want to connect headphones, the classic 3.5 mm minijack jack will come in handy here. The built-in camera in this model is also symbolic, with a resolution of 0.3 megapixels, but it will be enough to entertain a child or an elderly person.

That’s what is really implemented well in this model, so it’s autonomy. A removable 1100 mAh lithium-ion battery, combined with good optimization of an already not too demanding system, can provide several days of continuous operation of the phone without turning off and recharging.

Alcatel 2053D

Rating: 4.8

The full name of this model is Alcatel One Touch 2053D with the addition of a body color coder, such as Black. At a very affordable price, this model is at least as good as the previous versions, and it also has a breakthrough improvement — full Internet access, as far as possible with such a modest screen.

Dimensions of the body of the device — 50x103x16.9 mm, weight — 89 g. It is produced in a single color option — black. The main material is ordinary plastic, but quite good, the assembly is solid, without backlash, squeaks and wobbles. The keys also hold tightly, are pressed with a pleasant tactile feedback.

The phone supports two SIM cards of Micro-SIM format covering GSM 900/1800/1900 cellular voice bands. In addition, it is possible to access the Internet via GPRS or even EDGE protocols. True, a miniature screen of 2.4 inches and a resolution of 320×240 pixels is unlikely to make it possible to somehow «wander around the open spaces», but as a simple entertainment or for obtaining up-to-date information via hot links, such functionality may well be applicable.

The phone has a built-in simple camera with a resolution of 0.3 megapixels. To save photos and videos, the internal storage is not enough, and you will need to buy an additional memory card, as in all the models described above. The multimedia capabilities of the device also include a built-in FM radio. There is a standard 3.5 mm mini-jack for connecting headphones.

Actually, the built-in 32 MB of storage is really not enough for anything, so the card will be needed not only for multimedia files. For file transfer, the built-in Bluetooth short-range wireless module will do;

A regular battery with a capacity of 970 mAh can provide autonomy in the equivalent of 7 hours of continuous cellular talk.

A remark needs to be made here. This model is available in various modifications, and some batches may not contain Internet access functions. If this moment is important, it must be clarified at the point of sale.

Alcatel 3025X

Rating: 4.9

The selection of mid-price clamshell mobile phones will be completed by another Alcatel, in general, even of a similar style, format and technological profile, but with some important differences that determined its place in our review.

First of all, it should be said that this is the first clamshell phone in our review that supports only one SIM card. We automatically list this circumstance as a disadvantage, even though not everyone needs two SIM cards at the same time. But familiarity with the rest of the characteristics makes it clear that the rejection of one cellular radio module is a small loss compared to the additional features received in return.

The manufacturer took the vacated place with no less interesting things. So, for example, this model has a completely full-fledged Internet connection, and even at a decent speed — 3G support is implemented. Then, the camera, according to the declared characteristics, has a resolution of 2 megapixels. In fact, independent tests have shown that the manufacturer is still a little cunning, but in any case, the camera here is half an order of magnitude more powerful than almost all of the above models. Of course, the quality of the pictures cannot be compared even with a poor smartphone, but in any case, this is a serious difference that can brighten up the leisure of an elderly person or entertain a child.

More importantly, in this model, with moderate use, you can even do without buying an additional memory card, because the amount of built-in data storage is 256 MB. Yes, these are megabytes, and this is still very small, but it is eight (!) times more than those ridiculous 32 MB that the phones described above are equipped with. In any case, if this is not enough, a memory card up to 32 GB can always be delivered.

And one more thing about electronics. This is a phone in which the word «performance» already means something, and in the descriptions the manufacturer no longer hesitates to indicate specific data. So, for example, the processor here is MediaTek MT6261, and the capacity of RAM is 128 MB.

Best High-Price Flip Phones

The final selection in the review of the best clamshell mobile phones according to Expertology magazine presents three interesting models that, although they cost disproportionately less than any modern smartphone, still noticeably stand out from other push-button phones of the same form factor. The rationale for the prices becomes clear as you get acquainted with the characteristics of each model.

Wigor H3

Rating: 4.7

First, consider the Russian smartphone brand Wigor. Far from always, domestic electronics “shoots” in consumer terms, especially since it is still produced in Southeast Asian countries, but sometimes there are successful models, and Wigor H3 is one of those.

In terms of functionality, this phone has no obvious advantages over half of the above options, and it lags far behind Alcatel 3025X. However, buyers are attracted by the impressive appearance, convenience, the presence of a large external screen and a powerful battery. Let’s analyze the characteristics in more detail.

The body dimensions of the device are 57.5x115x22 mm, the weight of the phone is 140 g. It is made of good black plastic with a futuristic design. Adding to the visual appeal is a 2-inch external LCD display on the outside of the lid. It displays the clock and some additional useful information. The resolution of the additional screen is 128×128 pixels.

As for the main screen, it is exactly the same here as in any of the above phones. Diagonal size — 2.4 inches, resolution — 320×240 with a dot density of 167 per inch. The matrix is ​​color, reproduces 65536 shades.

The phone is equipped with a simple camera with a resolution of 0.3 megapixels. You can take photos and videos. The built-in player recognizes MP4, AVI, MPEG4, 3GP video formats and a number of popular audio formats. Files are played without delay thanks to a relatively powerful, as for such a context, MediaTek MT6261 processor and 32 MB of RAM.

The built-in data storage, although not the smallest — 64 MB, but still an additional installation of a memory card is almost guaranteed. The phone supports cards up to 32 GB.

For communication, the device can alternately use two SIM cards of cellular operators, each in its own dedicated compartment. Coverage of frequency bands — GSM 900/1800/1900. For direct file transfer between devices, the Bluetooth 3.0 module is used.

Long-term operation of the device without the need for recharging is guaranteed by a capacious 1200 mAh battery.

Panasonic KX-TU456RU

Rating: 4.8

The selection will continue with an even more expensive Panasonic clamshell phone model. Here there are some advantages over the previous version, but still, in terms of pure characteristics, the phone loses to Alcatel 3025X, which is half the price. On the other hand, here we are still dealing with Panasonic, and this name to a certain extent justifies a certain overpayment for the brand, which in the end still comes down to an honest payment for quality and fault tolerance.

The body dimensions of this phone are 53x106x23 mm. The material is good plastic, there are black, blue and red colors to choose from, but you can often find black on sale. The phone weighs 110 g. The body is shockproof. The screen options are one-to-one, like all previous models, and we will not focus on this moment.

This is the second clamshell phone in the review, which supports only one SIM card from a mobile operator. Range coverage — GSM 900/1800. The quality of communication is generally not bad, the presence of the Internet access function via 2G is also pleasing. Bluetooth is used for direct wireless file transfer.

Here, too, there is an elementary camera that can be used for shooting solely for the purpose of simple entertainment. With the data storage, there are still the same restrictions — only 32 MB, so you will need to deliver a flash card so that at some point the phone does not stop receiving messages or recording new contacts.

The battery in this assembly is not bad, with a capacity of 1000 mAh, provides up to 5 hours of continuous talk time, and the standby time (which is more preferable) is absolutely prohibitive — up to 600 hours.

Nokia 2720 Flip Dual sim

Rating: 4.9

And our review will be completed by the most expensive clamshell phone, which is already approaching the price of the cheapest smartphones of not too ambitious brands. The point in such a purchase may seem doubtful, but even in 2020 this model is in obvious demand and collects quite good feedback. And, in fact, even a cursory glance at the characteristics is enough to understand that the phone is worth the money.

And judging by the characteristics, here we are dealing almost with a simple smartphone, with the only difference being that there is no operating system familiar to us in our understanding. Judge for yourself: a Qualcomm 205 processor with two processing cores and an integrated Adreno 304 graphics subsystem. Built-in memory — 4 GB, RAM — 512 MB.

There is a huge gap in performance with any of the above phones. Now further. There is a built-in camera with a resolution of 2 megapixels, supported by an LED flash. You can record and view videos in relatively good quality. There is a built-in FM receiver.

What else is very, very remarkable in this model is the support for communication technologies. In addition to the usual voice cellular communication through two supported SIM cards, this smartphone also supports Internet data transfer, including high-speed 3G broadband 4G in general.

This model has two screens — main and external. The main size is 2.8 inches, like many of the above models. But the manufacturer and trading platforms are already bashfully hiding the resolution behind the abbreviation QVGA. This abbreviation means nothing more than 320 × 240 pixels — exactly as much as everywhere else in the review. And, it must be admitted, if it were not for the other characteristics, then no one would have any questions. But the combination of 4G Internet with such a screen is at least strange. Although, if you use broadband 4G Internet only for uploading photos and videos via Skype or social networks, then the idea is clear.

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Attention! This rating is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.