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We have the first discount on another entry-to-midrange phone, the Sony Xperia L2 is now down to $220 with free shipping at amazon.com in three color options. Its starting price was $250.
We have wall to wall coverage on this phone, with more to come! It works on Project FI using the “Data SIM”, however, phone calls and messages must be routed over IP using the Google Hangouts app, not the Phone and Messanging apps.
If you want an Oreo smartphone without breaking the bank, and the previous kerfuffles of the Blu brand of Florida do not scare you away, for a very limited time only, you can get the brand new Blu Vivo XL3 for $110 with free shipping with up to two sets per customer at the sale price by Amazon actual.
This is new condition with a USA warranty, factory unlocked and works with GSM networks. As usual, check bands and such to make sure it will work to your satisfaction on your GSM carrier(s) of choice.
The other specs:
Project FI has a new temptation! They are offering essentially a BOGO on the $249 Motorola Moto X4 Android One phone IF you buy and activate these two phones on two different users on the same Project FI group plan. The “BOGO” is via a service credit. You will get a $249 Project FI service credit, while paying $249 for each of the two Moto X4 phones. Better yet, you can do this in multiples of 2, if you have more users/lines in your FI account.
The promotion just got send via email to existing customers…
Project FI is a great way to have cellular service without breaking the bank. Especially if you like to use or switch between various smartphones. However, to get into Project FI, the guardian at the gate requires a Nexus or a Pixel phone or the new Moto X4. If you want in, but don’t want to pay the big bucks for Pixels, and you have a soft spot for the Nexus phones, you have until Saturday at 3am eastern to decide!
Because among the daily deals at Amazon for Friday is a sale on a handful of certified refurbished Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X phones. Prices vary by phone color and storage option. The Huawei Nexus 6P models range from $240 to 4260, while the LG Nexus 5X range from $140 to $150.
Once you are in Project FI, you can order from Project FI what they call “Data SIMs”. These can be used for data service only, no voice. However, you can use the Google Hangouts and Hangouts Dialer combination (or Google Voice if you want a different phone number) and then you can make/receive calls and send/receive texts with the “Data SIM” only phones. Google sends these to you for FREE. You can have up to nine of them per Google account, great for developers, testers, reviewers and smartphone/tablet aficionados. I just did this with the Sony Xperia L2, I will finish the blog-post during the weekend if you are curious!
If you are looking to get the brand new Samsung Galaxy S9 flagships at a reasonable outright price, and you want to use it with these prepaid carriers, you are in luck! A couple of them, “Simple Mobile” and “Total Wireless” are offering them for $660 (S9) and $760 (S9+) outright on Amazon! You have to use a SIM card for one of those two carriers if you want service, which, of course, you can find on Amazon!
| Carrier | $660 | $760 |
| Simple Mobile | Galaxy S9 | Galaxy S9+ |
| Total Wireless | Galaxy S9 | Galaxy S9+ |
And that’s it. You buy it, you pay for it, and it’s yours! No monthly payments, no requirement to have or maintain service with a carrier and such!
UPDATE 3/1/18 at 10pm ET: the price has dropped from $100 to $85. Same seller and shipping situation…
If you are looking for a former flagship that is running on the Verizon network, and $100 is all you are willing to pay, then head on over to Amazon where marketplace seller Kanga Supply is offering certified refurbished LG G4 (Verizon) smartphones for $100 with free shipping.
On the other hand, if you don’t need an ECHO, and you are determined to start a new Project FI service, then ignore our previous Moto X + ECHO offer, and instead take advantage of a new limited time promotion at Google’s Project FI that gets you the new condition Motorola Moto X4 in the “Android One” version for $250 but that’s not all. You also get an $80 Project FI service credit if you make a purchase and activate the phone by March 17 in 2018. The $80 service credit is only good for NEW FI customers.
This is a pretty good deal, since ProjectFI only charges you data “by the pound”. So you are essentially getting the phone for $170, assuming you will like the Project-FI service and stay with them long enough for the promotional credits to be applied to your account. Regardless, the Moto X4 is an “all carrier” phone so you can use it with other carriers in the future.
I am currently using Project FI with a Nexus 6 [yes, I am on the cutting edge!] and to setup a second Data-SIM only phone as an actual backup to the line. More on that in future blog-posts.
If you happen to want an unlocked smartphone that will work with all major US carriers, and you also want a second generation Amazon ECHO device, and you are a Prime member, $350 will get you the aforementioned ECHO device along with the new condition Motorola Moto X4 smartphone from Amazon actual. This is an unlocked smartphone with a USA warranty, and it will work all four major US carriers, and also Google’s Project-FI, currently the only non-Google phone that is compatible with the service.
This is a limited time offer, but they don’t mention when it expires.
PS: speaking of unlocked smartphones, I just posted an unboxing of the Sony Xperia L2, with more posts and review action coming up in the next few days.
For Tuesday, until 11:59pm pacific time, NewEGG is offering the new condition LG Stylo 3 smartphone for $95 with free shipping. This is a no-contract phone but it is locked to Boost Mobile. You can always use it as a Wifi-only device without any Boost mobile account or service. Limit two units per customer during this sale.
I don’t have this model, but I have the previous model, the LG Stylo 2 (for Virgin) which uses a similar Pen technology (nowhere near as good as Samsung’s S-Pen). We have here a useful text and pictures unboxing of the Stylo 2, along with tips on how to deal with the pestery activation process. I do not know if Boost Mobile uses the same activation process, as far as I can recall, I never had a Boost Mobile locked phone.
Factory unlocked phones are a great idea, especially if you are not planning to be a cost prohibitive flagship where an installment plan makes the price spread out over time more agreeable (eg, Note 8, latest iPhones, etc).
If you are looking at the budget side of things, but still want some interesting features, such as a dual camera, the new condition Huaweii Honor 6X is currently on sale, factory unlocked, and without any carrier obligations, for $180 with free S&H at amazon.com. Three different colors of this are available and on sale!
This is not a lightning deal, so I don’t know when the sale ends. Here’s a brief intro to the phone with our brand new “fact boxes” 🙂
| Phone | Huawei Honor 6X (Android) |
|---|---|
| Screen Size | 5.5-inch 1080p |
| RAM | 3GB RAM |
| Storage | 32GB plus microSD |
| Processor | Kirin 655 Octa-Core |
| Battery | 3340 mAh |
| Connector | micro USB 2.0 |
| Carrier | GSM, Unlocked |
| Weight | 5.6 ounces |
| Notes | dual camera, dual SIM (nano) |
There’s an insane number of smartphone options these days, and at a wild range of prices. Many of the phones out there are available unlocked, which typically give you the most flexibility and better resale value (other things equal as many other factors determine resale value of a smartphone ~ not that we are buying these things as investments).
Which brings us to the Sony Xperia L1 getting its first discount, now going for $180 with free shipping in the three official color schemes at amazon.com. This is new condition, with USA warranty, and sold by Amazon actual. No contract, and you don’t even have to use it with a cellular plan.
It comes with Nougat out of the box, which is a step ahead of most Android phones out there (sadly!). It has 2GB RAM, 16GB on-board storage, microSD slot (Sony sells microSD cards, so of course they’ll support microSD storage), and GSM compatibility.
It has a 5.5-inch display with 720p resolution (it’s under $200 after all), with a MediaTek processor, a Nano SIM, USB-C connector, etc.
As you can see from the pictures, one semi-distinguishing characteristic of this is that there are almost no side bezels, but plenty of them at the top and bottom.
The new condition LG Stylo 2, without contractual requirements but locked to the prepair carrier it comes co-branded with, is on sale for $75 with free shipping by NewEgg actual in your choice of Boost Mobile or Virgin Mobile. Limit three of each per customer.
They also have a bundle for the Virgin Mobile unit bundled with a power bank (Powerocks Cirrus).
Virgin Mobile is not accepting new non-iPhone customers, but existing customers can still buy new phones and replace their existing ones. There’s even a secret place to buy Android phones at the Virgin Mobile USA website for existing customers.
I have the LG Stylo 2 and I’m using it as an indoors PDA of sorts. Performance wise it’s a step behind the Nexus 6. But once you go Knock Code with the LG phones, you then begin double tapping on every screen and window you see 🙂
I have two posts on the Stylo 2 with more in the works: the Unboxing (only text and pictures, nothing annoying or noise-making), and a walk-through on how to deal with the pestering activation menus (if you don’t plan to activate it for cellular service).
On the other half, if you want to stay under $150, and you are not tempted by the Moto G5 Plus offer, fear not, Amazon has a budget deal for you too IF you are a Prime member and you do NOT object to the “Lockscreen Ads” version of the Motorola Moto G (4th Generation) in the 2GB RAM with 32GB on-board storage denomination.
This very model is currently on sale, probably for a limited time only, for $130 with free shipping at amazon.com. Limit one per customer since this is a pretty, pretty, pretty good price (as the returning in October Larry David likes to say). The offer is only good on the black color scheme.
The standard versions without the Amazon Lockscreen Ads go for $200, so the difference is definitely big enough at the moment to put up with the Lockscreen ads.
This Moto G4 is also an “all carrier” smartphone, so you can use it with any of the big four in the US market, including the CDMA duo (Verizon, Sprint), along with the more flexible GSM duo (AT&T, T-Mobile).
This is a USA version, with manufacturer warranty and Moto’s blessings. This too may be eligible for an installment plan, five equal payments on your credit or debit card of $26 each. Screenshot of that:
CLARIFICATION: there are three versions of the Moto G4 phone. There is a PLAY version, a PLUS version, and this version. This version does not have a Play or Plus moniker 🙂
If you need a smartphone right now that will work on all four major US carriers, and don’t want to wait to see what the Fall of 2017 will bring us, and want to stay under $300, there is a pretty good deal right now on the fifth generation Motorola Moto G Plus, in the more advanced 4GB RAM and 64GB storage option, in the Lunar color scheme, going for $250.
This is factory unlocked, with a USA warranty, and it is sold and shipped by Amazon actual. This is the standard version of the phone, NOT the Prime ad-subsidized model with Lockscreen offers.
So, other things equal, this phone has the best resale value. It is unlocked, a USA model, and works with all four major carriers. Yes, even the CDMA duo of Sprint and Verizon. This is partially thanks to the Snapdragon 625, a chipset that is getting quite a lot of good reviews in bang for the buck phones.
You May Be Eligible For A Simple Installment Plan
But wait, there’s more! The Amazon website may also offer you an option to purchase it with a five installment plan. There is no interest, and no credit check. The Amazon computers predetermine eligibility for these type of offers based on a customer’s Amazon account history and status and offer them automatically. They will simply charge your credit cards $50 for five consecutive months.
Here’s a screenshot for the offer IF eligible:
If you are an existing Virgin Mobile USA customer, you can still buy Android phones! There are a dozen Android phones still available for purchase through the Virgin Mobile website, with prices ranging from $30 (LG K3) to $650 (Galaxy S8). A number of them are on sale. As far as deal hunting, this is something you can keep an eye out for when they have the “fire sale” where you can get good deals.
We have a very detailed post on how to do this, which includes the list of currently available Android phones and prices.
You used to be able to buy phones at the Virgin Mobile USA website using your available balance, but they changed that a few months ago. You can still do it, but you have to call their customer services and buy through them. Expect some waits. I did this when I bought the LG Stylo 2. Some phones are excluded from “pay with balance”, such as the iPhones and select Galaxy models.
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