Nokia just reinvented the cheap flip phone with Google Assistant
The Nokia 2720 V Flip connects to LTE, offers a built-in voice assistant and costs $79
The problem with feature phones is that they're often missing exactly that — features. That's something HMD Global, which makes devices under the Nokia brand, hopes to avoid with the Nokia 2720 V Flip, a feature phone that packs in some of the capabilities you'd associate more with a smartphone.
This $79.99 phone, announced today (May 13), looks like it's aimed at phone shoppers who want more of the power of a smartphone without the corresponding boost in price. To that end, the Nokia 2720 V Flip includes a built-in Google Assistant, as well as the ability to download apps through KaiSuite.
- The best Google Assistant commands
- Ready for a smartphone? The best cheap phones you can buy
- Plus: PS5 and Xbox Series X could get one of PC gaming’s best features
Even better, the phone will be able to connect over Verizon's LTE network. (The Nokia 2720 V Flip is a Verizon exclusive.) While that mean seem like gilding the lilly for the apps you'd run on this flip phone, keep in mind the Nokia 2720 V Flip can also be used as a mobile hotspot, allowing your laptop network access through the phone.
Still, at it heart, the Nokia 2720 V Flip remains a feature phone for people not ready to make the leap to the candybar design of smartphones. Looking a lot like the Nokia 2720 of yesteryear, this is a flip phone with modern functionality. A 1.3-inch screen on the outside of the 2720 V Flip alerts you to notifications and incoming calls. You can answer calls by flipping open the phone and end them by closing it.
Inside the phone, a 2.8-inch main screen and physical keyboard await. HMD Global says you can expect 26 days of battery life on standby — impressive in a world in which the best phone battery life among smartphones is measured in hours, not days.
As noted, you'll be able to get the phone only from Verizon. The $79.99 Nokia 2720 V Flip goes on sale a week from now on May 20.
Sign up now to get the best Black Friday deals!
Discover the hottest deals, best product picks and the latest tech news from our experts at Tom’s Guide.
Philip Michaels is a Managing Editor at Tom's Guide. He's been covering personal technology since 1999 and was in the building when Steve Jobs showed off the iPhone for the first time. He's been evaluating smartphones since that first iPhone debuted in 2007, and he's been following phone carriers and smartphone plans since 2015. He has strong opinions about Apple, the Oakland Athletics, old movies and proper butchery techniques. Follow him at @PhilipMichaels.