Flip phone with GPS: which models have maps, and which work offline

Is there a flip phone with GPS, and does it give directions?

Yes. Many flip phones have a GPS chip, but the chip only finds you. Directions need a maps app, map data and routing software on top of it.

Most search results for this query are forum threads and one news column that blur the chip and the navigation. This page separates them and sorts phones into four types:

• None: no GPS, or no listing that states one.
• Location only: a GPS chip, but no maps app. It helps on an emergency call and nothing else.
• Online maps: a maps app that needs a data connection while you drive.
• Offline maps: maps stored on the phone, so directions work without signal.

Which dumbphones have GPS and maps? A table by navigation type

Sunbeam’s F1 Pro and the Mudita Kompakt have offline turn-by-turn built in. Wisephone II adds Google Maps, which works offline for driving only and needs a WiseOS subscription.

Status is as of 2026-10-27 and comes from the sources named in each row. “Not stated” means the source does not say.

Phone	Navigation type	Maps app	Works offline?	Source
Sunbeam F1 Pro (Aspen, $359)	Offline maps	HERE-based Navigation; Waze on some models	HERE yes, after a download. Waze needs a connection	Sunbeam support, Pause Gadget
Mudita Kompakt ($399)	Offline maps	Mudita’s own Maps app	Yes, after downloading a region	Mudita support
Techless Wisephone II ($399, not a flip)	Online maps, driving offline via Google Maps	Google Maps (WiseOS subscription) and Waze	Google Maps driving only. Waze needs a connection	Pause Gadget
Light Phone III ($899 preorder)	Online maps	Directions tool, powered by HERE	No, per Pause Gadget. The GPS finds you but cannot plan a route	Pause Gadget
Nokia 2780 Flip	Online maps (reported)	Google Maps on KaiOS (reported)	Not stated	GSMArena, Wikipedia
CAT S22 Flip	Online maps (Android)	Install from Google Play	Google Maps offline driving, if the Go edition supports downloads	CAT manual, GSMArena
Punkt MP02	Location only	None	n/a	Pause Gadget
Nokia 105 4G, 110 4G, 3210 4G	None listed	None	n/a	Dumbph finder

Three notes on the table:

• The Nokia 2780 Flip lists “GPS” on GSMArena and “GPS (A-GPS)” on Wikipedia. Wikipedia says it runs KaiOS 3.1 “with Google Maps and YouTube support” and cites a 2026 Gizmochina roundup. No maker page states it, so treat the maps as reported.
• The CAT S22 Flip lists GPS, GLONASS and Galileo and runs Android 11 (Go edition), per the manufacturer manual. It is an Android phone, so a maps app installs from Google Play.
• Pause Gadget’s table is its own review work, dated 2026-10-16, and the source for the Light Phone III and Wisephone rows.

Check your country first. Sunbeam’s Aspen page says the phone “is meant for North and South America and will not work in much of Europe, Africa, and Asia” because it lacks the LTE bands there. In the US, the dumbphones that work on Verizon are a separate shortlist.

What is the difference between GPS, A-GPS and navigation?

GPS finds your position, A-GPS finds it faster using a data connection, and navigation is a separate software layer that draws a route on a map.

GPS. A GPS chip listens to satellite signals and works out where the phone is. It needs no data plan. GPS.gov says smartphones are typically accurate to within a 4.9 m (16 ft) radius under open sky, and less accurate near buildings, bridges and trees.

A-GPS. Assisted GPS fetches satellite orbit data over the network so the first fix comes sooner. A plain receiver may need as long as 12.5 minutes to collect that data itself, per the US Coast Guard figure Wikipedia cites. A phone with its own GPS chipset can still compute a position without a data connection, only more slowly.

Navigation. Turn-by-turn directions need map data and a routing engine. Both can live on the phone or come from a server. A phone with GPS and no stored maps shows nothing useful when the signal drops.

The Punkt MP02 shows the gap. Its GPS serves emergency calls and the phone has no maps. If location sharing is your real question, can a flip phone be tracked covers who sees your position.

Can a dumbphone use Google Maps?

A dumbphone can use Google Maps if it runs Android or a system with a Maps app, and Google’s offline mode covers driving routes.

Google’s help page says offline maps are for Android phones and tablets. You download an area while online. Driving navigation then works if “the entire route is within the offline map”. Transit, bicycling and walking directions are not available offline, and driving offline shows no traffic or alternate routes. Downloads are not available in some countries or regions, and you must update maps before they expire.

On the CAT S22 Flip, that means offline driving directions on a pocketable Android phone. Open Maps on the phone while online and confirm the download option appears in the Go edition before you leave signal.

Which dumbphone has offline maps?

The Sunbeam F1 Pro and the Mudita Kompakt have offline maps, with different trade-offs.

Sunbeam F1 Pro. Sunbeam’s support page says its Navigation feature was built with the HERE SDK, and the map data is free. It offers three ways to get maps:

1. On demand, which uses cellular data and fails if you lose service.
2. A download in Settings, state by state or province by province. All of North America needs about 11 GB, and larger amounts need an SD card.
3. An SD card pre-loaded by Sunbeam, for a service fee. Sunbeam says it does not sell the map data itself.

Live Traffic is for Sunbeam Premium subscribers. Waze “does not work well with the keypad”, so you use the touchscreen, and it cannot route without a connection. The support page does not list which models have Navigation, so confirm your model before buying.

Mudita Kompakt. Mudita’s support page says you download a map over the internet, then you “won’t need the internet to search or view the map”. Mudita’s July 2025 release notes added offline navigation with voice guidance in 8 languages and walking, cycling and driving modes. The notes do not mention traffic or transit. The Kompakt is a candy-bar e-ink phone, not a flip.

Techless Wisephone II. Maps needs a WiseOS subscription, so navigation adds an ongoing cost. Google Maps works offline for driving only, and Waze needs a connection.

HERE WeGo is the best-known app of this kind. Its offline maps are not available in some countries, including Japan, Korea and China.

Does GPS work without data or signal?

The GPS chip works without data, but the maps usually do not unless you stored them first.

Here is the arithmetic for all of North America on a Sunbeam phone. That is about 11 GB, or 11,000 MB. At 8 bits per byte that is 88,000 megabits. On home Wi-Fi at 50 megabits a second, the download takes 88,000 ÷ 50 = 1,760 seconds, about 29 minutes. The 50 Mbit/s speed is an assumed home connection. The 11 GB figure is Sunbeam’s.

One state or province is much smaller, and a downloaded region is all a weekend trip needs. Update maps now and then. Sunbeam says HERE releases updates about every 3 months.

Does a flip phone with GPS help in a 911 call?

A flip phone with GPS helps a 911 call centre locate you, and the US rule sets accuracy targets for carriers.

Under 47 CFR 9.10, handset-based location technology is measured outdoors and must reach 50 meters for 67 percent of calls and 150 meters for 90 percent of calls, per county or 911 call-centre area. A carrier may exclude up to 15 percent of counties or call-centre areas from the 150 m target because of heavy forestation. As an illustration, across 100 outdoor calls in a county the target is 67 within 50 m and 90 within 150 m.

The rule also lists indoor location through dispatchable location or vertical (z-axis) technology. Neither depends on whether your phone has a maps app. This is the rule in the eCFR as of 2026-10-27. Other countries use their own rules.

Which flip phone with GPS should you choose? A checklist

Pick by the situation you need directions in, then check the phone against the table above.

• Driving with signal almost everywhere: a Google Maps phone is enough. Test it in a shop before paying.
• Hiking, rural roads or travel with no signal: choose offline maps. Confirm the map download covers your country first.
• Only emergency location: a GPS chip with no maps is enough. The Punkt MP02 is an example in this table.
• No GPS at all: a basic Nokia 105 4G or 110 4G is listed without GPS and maps. Carry a paper map or use a car’s navigation.
• Keypad matters: Sunbeam says Waze needs the touchscreen.
• Messaging apps too: check which dumbphones run WhatsApp in 2026 before you commit to a platform.

Parents choosing a first phone should know that GPS in the handset does not give them a live view. Tracking needs an app or plan. The guide to phones without internet for kids covers that trade-off, and Gabb vs Bark Phone compares how often each plan updates a child’s location.

The dumbphones with WhatsApp page lists which phones run the messaging app, and how to live without a smartphone covers the other apps you will miss.