ZTE Cymbal U 2020 (8GB) 2.8" Minimalist Flip Phone, No WiFi/Internet, All Day Removable Battery, GSM Unlocked 4G Volte (T-Mobile, Metro, Global) US Model (32GB SD Bundle, Black)

When people ask me why I would ever want a "dumb" phone again, I think there are many reasons! I have my own set, but there are so many uses for such a device:* To "disconnect" a bit from work/social media/email/etc. but still maintain a minimum level of reachability (this is my reason)* Nostalgia* For a non-tech savvy senior who wants just the basics of being able to call/text* Have a device that you don't have to charge daily* To allow a pre-teen to be in communication but without the risks of dealing with social media and other potentially harmful apps* have a more compact device to carry aroundI was an early adopter of cell phones in general, but also in "smart phones" and had my first kind of smartphone all the way back in 2002 or 2003 - the Danger Sidekick. It came with a built in keyboard and the ability to write email and AOL Instant Messenger chats on the go. This phone can't do that, but it does let you write SMS's and do phone calls. You can also load MP3s and other audio and video content on the included 32GB card (much bigger than anything that was around back 20 years ago!), so you could load your podcasts and music in that plentiful amount of space and listen to it on some good quality Bluetooth headsets (another thing that wasn't around back in 2002!).While not a touch screen, the main screen on the phone does allow for navigating via the phone's buttons as countless dumbphones back in the day did. This takes a little bit of practice, especially if you've only ever used touch screens. But if you have vague muscle memories of doing this from way back, then it should come back to you relatively quickly, as it did me.My main concern was around having to enter contacts in so that I could make calls or texts quickly, and see who was calling or texting rather than just a phone number. Based on the manual that you can view on ZTE's website (the one included with this phone is just a quick-start guide), I found that I could do this pretty easily by using Google Contact's export feature to export all my contacts to VCF or Vcard File format. Then I simply transferred that file to the included SD card and popped it into the phone, and told the contacts app to import contacts from the SD card, and voila, all 1,400 contacts were imported in about a minute! No muss no fuss.The phone is easy to customize, but may not have as many customization settings as a smartphone. I haven't tried the camera because it's not something I'm interested in, but it sounds like it's capable, it just won't produce stuff on par with the best smartphone cameras, but it will still be usable for most purposes. The phone has a bunch of other tools like a calendar, radio, stopwatch, alarm, etc. These all may be useful if this is the only device you have. Personally I plan to carry my old smartphone around with me as a media player, at least some of the time. Since all my calendar events are in Google Calendar, that phone will remind me of events, even when unconnected, and also serve as a general purpose digital app tool for things like a calculator, timer/stopwatch, camera, etc. for those basic uses and with a much easier UI. I'm sure the apps here are usable in a pinch, but they are probably going to be a bit awkward given the size of the screen and the fact that it's not a touch screen.Anyway, setup of the phone was quick and easy. The SIM and SD card were easy to install and it connected immediately to Tmobile and I was able to make calls and texts.As I mentioned, Bluetooth is available on this phone and I was able to pair my headphones very quickly, but what I was really happy about was the ability to pair my small Bluetooth keyboard. If you do much texting, having a full keyboard is extremely important because otherwise even if you are "quick" with the normal way to input text on a dumb phone, it's still multiple times faster and easier on a full keyboard, especially if you are a touch typist like I am.The phone itself itself is pretty attractive with a kind of patterned iridescent black casing and a metallic-looking keypad. The flip hinge is quite strong but that also means that it is quite hard to open with one hand. You can do it easily with two, but I seem to remember being able to "flip" my phone open ala the old Star Trek communicator when I had one of these as my main phone. Aside from that, it has a screen on the front so you don't need to open it to see the time, message alerts, or who is calling. That second screen is small, but legible enough. The main screen is a lot bigger and a decent resolution so you aren't having to squint to make out text at all. The phone itself is a bit bigger than I imagined it would be. It's certainly not as big as a smartphone, but it isn't super tiny either. It's about 2/3 the size of my smartphone in terms of area (width and height), and actually about twice as thick! So in terms of overall volume it might be kind of similar, but because of it's smaller width and height, it does fit in my pocket easier without constantly being aware that I have a phone in there!For seniors or those with hearing disabilities, it has hearing aide compatibility, which is a nice feature for a fairly basic phone otherwise, but really one that any phone should have regardless of who it's market is.In general I'm extremely pleased with this device for my particular usage and needs. It's been quite a while since I've had a device like this, so it will take some getting used to, but it's simple enough, or my memory is good enough such that I'm not having to hunt for features or settings very much. Everything just works as expected and if I don't like the way a particular function is operating I can pretty quickly figure out where and how to change it to customize it more to my own liking. The price is excellent given how much people pay for smartphones these days, other than the rock bottom cheapest ones. And including a 32GB card is very convenient and an added value.Thanks for reading, I hope you found this review helpful!

UPDATE: this phone is really a POS as well. After two months of use, Mom struggles with this. The programming on this phone is simply not for tech-challenged seniors. Reducing to a 1 Star.I have a 90 year old Mom who has had a Sanyo Katana II for 15 years (awesome phone). She's on Tello and the 2g/3g networks have been retired as of Mar 31, 2022.I bought her a Plum Flipper, a POS in nearly every way. I was reluctant to try this ZTE Cymbal U phone after seeing the first 1 star review. This ZTE phone is not bad, just not great.The good:- excellent call quality for both parties, which is the most important aspect of any flip phone.- build quality is good enough.The bad:- nice large keys but unreliable key presses that cause unintended results.- customization is skimpy (no assignable key cmds).- menu navigation could be tough for non tech-savvy seniors.- pressing the dial hang-up key doesn't always clear menu navigation (making it tough on non tech-savvy seniors or those with dementia).- lousy calendar.- contacts are clumsy and again may be confusing to seniors (the contacts view doesn't reset upon ea visit as you would expect - instead remembers last entry viewed).- no WiFi capability.If considering this for T-Mobile or Tello, it works fine and uses 4g LTE & supports VOLTE. Mine also came with a 32gb micro SD card as well. If for a tech-challenged individual, it may be frustrating if attempting to dial by keys or contact selection. Receiving calls should be no problem.

I switched to this phone primarily to get away from having a computer in my pocket. I wanted a true cellphone for calling and texting - nothing else. The primary draw to this model was due to not having social media apps or Wi-Fi enabled on it. That being said, this phone does offer some good features.It has a camera, which won't win any awards, but is a good utility tool. It has radio, an MP3 player, expandable storage, and even a sound recorder option. A downside here is that there is no "notepad" option, but the sound recorder can make up for that.You also have both a 3.5mm headphone jack and Bluetooth connectivity for wired and wireless handsets. The audio quality on these headsets is fantastic as well.It does not work with Verizon, so be wary of that. I use Metro by T-Mobile, and for unlimited talk / text (because you don't need data) it will cost me $25/month. That's a plus for me!!Pros: It's a phone that works primarily as a phone!!No Wi-FiNo ads, or google / social media corporations tracking youGreat, crisp call quality (on speaker phone as well)Expandable storage for a small music library or podcasts.Removable battery!!Cons:Micro USB, not USB C. Not a huge deal, just an older connection.Plastic hinge feels flimsy, at least for a $75 phone.Front display brightness can't be changed. (It's bright!!)Keypad sometimes double presses - read your texts before sending!!No notepad.No flash for camera (no flashlight)Summary: If you're looking for a phone that just calls and texts and still want to listen to a podcast every now and then, then give this guy a try. It's inexpensive and does what it says! Thanks ZTE!!

Just had this phone connected for my Mom, she is happy with it. Her older ZTE flip phone (it was really old) was having connectivity issues, this new one is working perfect plus it has a larger screen, loud ring tones are available, and the call quality is excellent. This phone is also senior friendly, the interface is easy to use.