DialBop Retro Handset

You had one of these on the kitchen wall. Now it plugs into the phone in your pocket. You have seen the video: the phone rings and someone lifts a bright red 1980s handset instead. This is that handset. It plugs straight into your phone and rings when your phone rings. One round button on the handle answers and hangs up.

You do not need it. You have earbuds and a perfectly good hand. You will want it anyway, because every time your phone rings it is going to make you smile, and because long calls are simply nicer with a cool ear and something solid to hold.

Pick your plug first

It is the only decision that matters, so it comes first. Look at the port your charger plugs into.

• USB-C: iPhone 15 and newer, and most Android phones.
• 3.5 mm jack: any phone with a headphone jack, older iPhones included with Apple's adapter.

What it feels like

• Matte and solid in the hand. Buyers keep saying "not a toy".
• The call comes through clearly, and your voice gets that warm old-telephone tone. That is the charm.
• Volume rocker on the edge, right where your thumb lands.
• The coiled cord keeps your desk from turning into a nest.
• Red if you want the room to notice. Bubblegum pink if you want it to match. Black if you would rather not explain it.

Two things to know before you buy

• The cord is shorter than you're picturing. It stretches, but this is a desk-and-bed object, not a pace-around-the-kitchen one.
• Your voice sounds like 1985. Most people love it. If you need studio-clean audio for work calls, this isn't that.