Fashionable phones do not have to be expensive. Find out more about the gorgeous Cricket Debut Flip through this review.
Cricket Debut Flip was released in 2020 by Cricket Wireless as an entry-level phone. The phone comes in a flip, but not clamshell, design. Its affordable price and simple design are desirable.
While phones nowadays tend to look similar, this device is reminiscent of the early 2000’s phones. It is simple and straight to the point.
Elderly people may not use their phones intensively but they still need one to communicate with their loved ones. That is why advanced features such as more than one camera or face recognition are overkill.
Is this phone perfect for those who do not rely too much on technology? Is this phone also perfect for people who want to possess a secondary phone? Read this insightful Cricket Debut Flip review to find the answers.
Page Contents:
Key Specs
Cricket Debut Flip specifications:
- Weight: 124g
- Dimensions: 104.9 x 54.3 x 18.7mm
- OS: KaiOS 2.5
- Screen size: 2.8-inch (internal), 1.77-inch (external)
- Resolution: 320 × 240
- CPU: 1.1GHz Quad-core
- Storage: 4GB
- Battery: 1,450mAh
- Camera: 2MP
Design
Cricket Debut Flip manages to grab our impression in an instant. It is stylish and not outdated despite not being a true smartphone. The navy blue color gives a really pleasant appearance.
The Flip is also very light and easy to handle for people with both small and large hands. The body is made from plastic but comfortable to hold. However, people who easily sweat may find it a bit slippery.
The Cricket Debut Flip uses a physical keypad instead of a touchscreen. The keypad is comfortable to press and responsive. People who are not technologically adept would be satisfied with this phone, especially elderly people.
It is easy to open and close the phone. The hinge is not flimsy and it feels smooth when you try to open and close the lid with one hand. You can find an external display when you close the lid. There is also a single camera above it.
When you open the lid, you can find the main display and backlit keypad. On the right side of the phone, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack and a charging port. A quick launch side button is located on the left to open the camera app in one click. Other than that, there is much left to say. The phone is truly minimalist.
Display
Cricket Debut Flip has a 2.8-inch main display with 320 x 240 resolution. Meanwhile, the external display is only 1.77-inch but the resolution is unknown.
The main display is not spectacular but it is certainly bearable. Although it is not the most crystal clear display in the market, the icons and texts are readable.
The colors do not pop out and look pretty dull. It is expected from a low-entry phone, which is marketed towards senior citizens. The screen is bright and you can still read the menu even on a sunny day.
Although the screen quality is good enough for elderly people, the size is a downside. It is small and people with vision problems may have difficulties reading what is on screen.
The default main menu does not help either as it is convoluted. However, you can customize your homepage in the Settings.
The additional screen is also bright but the quality is similar to feature phones. It is useful to display notifications, time and battery life. It also helps a lot when you have no time to check on your phone manually. However, you cannot navigate or reply to incoming messages straight from the display as it is not a touchscreen.
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Camera
This device has only one rear-facing camera with 2MP resolution and there is no selfie camera. As this phone is not for heavy users, this Cricket Debut Flip review will judge its camera’s quality fairly.
To be fair, we never expect a super affordable phone to be a perfect tool for mobile photography. The Flip’s camera is not the best but we have seen phones with better camera quality at this price range.
The pictures are below average and you can tell that the software lacks in many aspects. Its quality is comparable to phones that existed prior to the Android and iOS era. Even then, there were some cheap phones with slightly better cameras.
Photos tend to look blurry and full of noise. Software editing on a computer may help improve the quality by a tiny margin.
This phone’s camera is never meant to take serious photos. You can snap a few pictures of your shopping list or to take notes during a lecture. You can also apply filters on your photos before posting them to social media.
In short, Cricket Debut Flip is not for mobile photography. It makes sense as people who use this type of phone also probably do not take pictures that much.
Storage
Cricket Debut Flip comes in one variant of storage only, which is 4GB of internal memory. It is ridiculously small for phones nowadays. However, we are aware that its target consumers may not like to store large files on a phone.
You can add thousands of contacts and store text messages with 4GB. Fortunately, you can insert a microSD up to 32GB. Even with 32GB, you cannot store a lot of files, especially music files. Large-sized pictures also will hog your storage quickly.
In order to add more songs and pictures, you should download low-quality files. Alternatively, you can use an app to compress them.
Performance
Cricket Debut Flip employs a 1.1GHz Quad-core processor as its brain. The phone itself is clearly not a 100% smartphone so it is understandable if it does not need the latest chipset. The manufacturer does not specify the size of RAM is available on this phone.
This phone comes with KaiOS 2.5, a Linux-based operating system. KaiOS is like a middle ground between feature phones and smartphones. The features are limited but you can install apps that are common in smartphones.
Despite not being an Android phone, you are allowed to install some Google-based apps on your phone such as Google Maps. You can also download other available apps and games on KaiOS Store.
Based on the price alone, this phone is not meant to run demanding apps and games. However, the Flip still performs well as a daily driver. It can run essential apps properly.
Texting and calling are made easy thanks to its responsive keyboard. We did not experience input delay when typing a message or navigating through the home screen. If you find typing inconvenient, you can use the talk-to-text feature.
We noticed the sound volume is relatively quiet compared to other phones. It may be a dealbreaker for people with hearing problems.
The phone also sometimes struggles to open Google-made apps and the camera menu. It may take seconds to open YouTube or Google Maps. It is not always the case but sometimes it can be a bit annoying.
In terms of privacy and data protection, this phone does not have advanced security features. There is no fingerprint scanner let alone facial recognition. Irresponsible people may acquire your data easily although you can always set a PIN.
Furthermore, fingerprint unlock is more convenient for elderly people. They do not have to deal with the keypad too often. They can unlock the phone in one simple tap.
This phone does not have advanced sensors such as compass, gyroscope and NFC. It is unfortunate you cannot use your phone as an e-wallet. The phone is also IP-rated, meaning that it is not water and dust resistant.
Thankfully, the phone has M4 and T4 Hearing Aid (HAC) ratings. People with hearing problems who use hearing aids most likely will not encounter interference caused by their phones.
Another positive note about this phone is that it has HD Voice feature. It enables you to enjoy crystal clear sound quality when you are connected to Cricket’s LTE Network or a compatible network.
Connectivity
The Cricket Debut Flip supports 4G connectivity, which is provided by Cricket. You can enjoy browsing the internet and social media posts in an instant. The speed, however, depends on your location and network condition.
If you are running out of data plans, you can turn on your WiF to connect to nearby hotspots. WiFi is greatly appreciated because it usually costs less than mobile data plans.
The Flip is equipped with Bluetooth 4.2. You can transfer files to other devices easily and quickly. You can also use Bluetooth to listen to music via external speakers by pairing your phone.
Battery
Cricket Debut Flip comes with a 1,450mAh battery. A more than decent amount for a flip phone, you should be able to use it until the end of the day. With battery-saving measures, such as turning off the Wi-Fi when you’re not using them, the battery could last until the next day.
It is a removable battery that you can replace with a spare when you need to. The battery charges quite fast although it does not offer any form of fast charging. Overall the battery on Cricket Debut Flip is nothing extraordinary, but it gets the job done.
Is Cricket Debut Flip a good phone?
You can get this low-entry phone for $49.99 at the official Cricket’s website or $29.88 at Walmart. Both stores have different plans and policies so make sure to read the information thoroughly.
Is this phone worth the price? This Cricket Debut Flip review thinks the phone is totally worth the price. Despite its shortcomings, the Flip manages to surpass our expectations as a daily driver. The phone is far from being powerful but that does not mean it struggles to execute basic activities. The backlit keypad is comfortable to press and responsive. Not only elderly people, but users who are not technologically savvy also will like this phone.
Cricket Debut Flip Pros
- Affordable
- Responsive keypad
- Lightweight
- Stylish design
Cricket Debut Flip Cons
- Below-average camera
- Quiet volume
- Occasional lags