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A 4G flip phone with Google Assistant is coming to the US

Dumb phones aren't so dumb anymore.

Dumb phones are getting smarter. Last year Nokia showed us what was possible in a feature phone with its 8110 4G, now Alcatel is leveraging the same operating system, Kai, to launch a 4G flip phone with Google Assistant integration, as well as apps such as WhatsApp and YouTube.

The Go Flip 3 (on T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile) and the SmartFlip (on AT&T and Cricket Wireless) come with all the reliable bells and whistles you'd expect in a standard feature phone, including up to 17.8 days' standby time, an acceptable 2MP rear camera, a 2.8" display and the usual preloads, such as a calendar, clock, email, messages, FM radio, notes and so on.

But setting it apart from previous dumb phone iterations is a quad-core processor and 4G LTE speeds that supports Google Assistant, meaning you can dictate messages, make calls and navigate apps from the KaiStore all using your voice. So for the first time you get hands-free accessibility with the satisfying snap sound of an old-school flip phone -- a feature we could only have dreamed of back in the 2000s.