Basic phones by carrier

A simple phone only helps if your carrier lets it on the network, so check that first. US carriers shut down their 3G networks in 2022, so a phone now needs 4G LTE with voice over LTE (VoLTE) to make calls. AT&T and Verizon won't activate or support phones that don't meet their network requirements, so check the carrier's compatibility page before you buy. Below, each phone's carrier support comes from the maker's or carrier's own pages. The Light Phone III is available to pre-order: Light says new pre-orders are expected to deliver in late December 2026.

6 models listed Last checked Oct 25, 2026

We don't show prices.

We pick these phones by judgment.

At a glance: which phone works on which carrier

PhoneVerizonAT&TT-Mobile
Light Phone III Limited Works Works
Sunbeam Wireless F1 Pro Works Limited Works
Punkt MP02 Not supported Works No VoLTE
Kyocera DuraXV Extreme+ WorksNot listedNot listed
Lively Jitterbug Flip3 No No No
TCL FLIP 3 WorksNot listedNot listed

From each maker's or carrier's own pages. "Limited" means it works with a catch, explained on the phone's card below. Partner carriers (MVNOs) are listed on each card.

Unlocked: works on all three major carriers 2

Light Phone III Pre-order

Minimal touchscreen phone with optional tools, 5G, unlocked

  • Texting Yes
  • Hotspot Yes
  • Keypad No, touchscreen

Account required: setup and tool/contact management need a Light account (per Light Phone III Introduction support page, checked Oct 2026).

Internet needed at setup: Wi-Fi or an active SIM (per Light support, checked Oct 2026)

Carriers

  • AT&T Works
  • T-Mobile Works
  • Verizon Limited
  • Partner carriers Some
  • Verizon: Postpaid only (no prepaid, no NumberShare). Light's Light III guide says a brand-new Verizon SIM can't be activated in the phone yet, so activate the SIM in another phone first.
  • Partner carriers: Light lists Ting, Mint and US Mobile (plus its own Light plan) as working. It lists Cricket, Metro by T-Mobile, Google Fi, Consumer Cellular, Straight Talk, Tracfone, H2O, Red Pocket, Spectrum, Xfinity, US Cellular and PureTalk as not compatible.

Evidence Light's Light III page says the phone will never have social media, internet browsing, email or ads, and that its tools (alarm, calendar, directions, hotspot, music, notes, weather and others) are optional. Light's page also says: "There are no third party apps sneakily taking your data." and "We've also recently launched a developer program for community-built and open-source tools" (per Light, checked Oct 2026). Light says it can be used as a personal hotspot. Light's page says new pre-orders are expected to deliver in late December 2026.

Source thelightphone.com Light Phone III page
Light's carrier list (US)

Last checked Oct 25, 2026

See it on thelightphone.com

Sunbeam Wireless F1 Pro

Flip phone with keypad, sold in 13 feature-set models

  • App store Not stated
  • Texting Most models
  • Hotspot Some models
  • Keypad Yes, flip

Carriers

  • Verizon Works
  • T-Mobile Works
  • AT&T Limited
  • Verizon: Also works on Total by Verizon (no hotspot), Straight Talk (Verizon), Tracfone, Page Plus, US Mobile Warp and Ting (Verizon). Not on Visible or Spectrum (not whitelisted), Xfinity or Safelink.
  • T-Mobile: Also works on Mint, Metro (enter the IMEI each time you swap SIMs), Tello, Ultra, US Mobile Light Speed and Boost Mobile. Google Fi works but can't receive picture messages.
  • AT&T: Calls, texts and picture messages work. Hotspot and Wi-Fi calling don't. Also works on Cricket (no hotspot), Consumer Cellular, H2O, PureTalk, US Mobile Dark Star and Red Pocket (GSMA).

Evidence Sunbeam's 2026 F1 Pro spec sheet lists USA networks Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, 4G LTE, and BasicOS, with each model's features fixed in a table. The spec sheet doesn't say whether apps can be installed. Hotspot is only on the Juniper, Aspen, Maple and Cypress models, and the Pine, Cedar and Willow models can't text. Some models include Waze or Here navigation. Voice-to-text, advanced weather and navigation features need a Sunbeam subscription.

Source Sunbeam F1 Pro spec sheet (2026, PDF)
Sunbeam carrier coverage tables

Last checked Oct 25, 2026

Unlocked: AT&T for calls 1

Punkt MP02

Minimalist 4G candybar phone with keypad, unlocked

  • App store Not stated
  • Texting Yes (SMS, MMS)
  • Hotspot Yes
  • Keypad Yes, candybar

Carriers

  • AT&T Works
  • T-Mobile No VoLTE
  • Verizon Not supported
  • AT&T: Punkt's carrier table lists AT&T as "supported" for coverage and "verified" for VoLTE.
  • T-Mobile: Punkt lists T-Mobile coverage as supported but VoLTE (calls over 4G) as not supported.

Evidence Punkt's MP02 page lists texting with T9 and MMS, a hotspot over USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, and only a few add-ons Punkt lists itself: Pigeon (a Signal-compatible messenger), Personalise and DailyView. Punkt's page doesn't say whether apps can be installed. Punkt's page also says the last Android/vendor security update was 5 August 2021, with no further updates planned.

Source punkt.ch MP02 page (incl. carrier table)

Last checked Oct 25, 2026

See it on punkt.ch

Sold with one carrier's service 3

Kyocera DuraXV Extreme+

Rugged flip phone for Verizon, with keypad

  • App store Not stated
  • Texting Yes
  • Hotspot Yes (plan needed)
  • Keypad Yes, flip

Carriers

  • Verizon Works
  • Verizon: Kyocera's announcement calls it the DuraXV Extreme+ for Verizon, and Verizon sells it through Verizon Business.

Evidence Kyocera's announcement describes a rugged flip phone with a large tactile keypad and a mobile hotspot (subscription required) on Verizon's network. Verizon has a hotspot setup guide for it. Kyocera doesn't say whether you can install apps, so the app store is marked as not stated. Kyocera's own product page returned an error when we checked on Oct 25, 2026, so we used the announcement and Verizon's listing.

Source Kyocera announcement
Verizon Business listing
Verizon hotspot guide for this phone

Last checked Oct 25, 2026

Lively Jitterbug Flip3

Big-button flip phone for older adults, Lively service only

  • App store Not stated
  • Texting Yes
  • Hotspot Not stated
  • Keypad Yes, flip

Carriers

  • Lively Only carrier
  • Verizon No
  • AT&T No
  • T-Mobile No
  • Lively: Lively says the Flip3 needs a Lively plan at activation and can't be used with other carriers.

Evidence Lively's Flip3 page lists big backlit buttons, voice dialing and texting, 5G and Wi-Fi calling, and a Help button. Lively's optional Urgent Response service and caregiver app are extras; the phone works without them. Lively doesn't say whether you can install apps or use a hotspot. The older Jitterbug Flip2 is no longer sold.

Source shop.lively.com Jitterbug Flip3 page

Last checked Oct 25, 2026

See it on shop.lively.com

Not listed yet

These models are not listed yet. Either we couldn't confirm they're currently sold, or the spec page was ambiguous.

  • Light Phone II: Light's shop lists both colors as sold out on Oct 25, 2026. Light lists the same US carriers as for the Light III. (source)
  • Light Light Flip: It's on Light's shop page, but we couldn't find a ship date or a US carrier list for it on Light's own pages. (source)
  • Nokia (HMD) 2780 Flip: HMD's US product page returned 404 on Oct 25, 2026. (source)
  • Nokia (HMD) 2760 Flip: We couldn't find a current maker or carrier listing showing it's sold new.
  • Lively Jitterbug Flip2: No longer sold new. Lively lists a few open-box units, which work only on Lively service (checked Oct 25, 2026). (source)
  • Others (Cat, Kyocera DuraXA Equip) : Not checked yet.

Notes

You need a carrier plan to use these phones.

Why carrier support matters: since the 3G shutdowns, a phone without VoLTE can't make normal calls. So "unlocked" alone isn't enough: check the carrier's compatibility page before you buy.

Partner carriers (MVNOs) differ from the big three. Cricket, Visible, Mint, Straight Talk and others run on the big networks but don't always accept the same phones. Light Phone, for example, works on AT&T but not on Cricket. Check the phone's card above for your carrier.

Before you buy: give your carrier the phone's model, or its IMEI once you have it, and ask whether it's approved for calls and texts on their network.

Some phones include the maker's own extras, such as Light's optional tools or Sunbeam's navigation models. Where the maker doesn't say whether apps can be installed, we mark it as not stated.

Spotted a mistake or a model that has changed? Tell us.