Refurbished HTC One M8 for $110 [WinPhone or Android]

From the current flagship, we go to a flagship of yesteryear, it’s HTC time. It’s the One M8, the first flagship in their line to include a microSD memory card. This particular offer is “seller refurbished” which is a higher risk (and lower price) typically compared to manufacturer refurbished. So if you don’t like risks, you may want to skip this. On the other hand, if you are comfortable with the risk/reward of such offers, keep reading…

eBay seller “Quality Cellz” (99.2%) is offering the seller-refurbished HTC One M8 for $110 with free shipping, with a limit of five per customer. It ships from California.

IMPORTANT: this listing sells two different versions, Android or Windows. Make sure you select the correct OS! This is unlocked without any contract requirements.

The specs are three flagships ago, a Snapdragon 800, 2GB RAM, 32GB on-board, microSD, 5-inch 1080p display, etc. Be sure to check Bands and Network compatibility if you are planning to use it with cellular data.

July 1, 2016 Filed Under: android, windows phone Tagged With: , , , ,

Refurbished Nexus 6P (Huawei) for $350

If you want to get the latest flagship Nexus phone but don’t want to pay a flagship price, there is the refurbished option, which is more appealing when it is manufacturer refurbished. Which brings us to the manufacturer refurbished 32GB Nexus 6P (made by Huawe), unlocked without contract requirements, going for $350 with free shipping by Best Buy’s eBay store. This is an online only offer, there is no store pick up option. Limit three units per customer.

It is as usual a never-ending cycle, do you buy the latest phone now, or wait for the new Nexus phones in the fall that will likely come out to coincide with the release of Android 7.0 (aka Nougat)? This is where refurbished may be a good option, since we are closer to the future models than we are not.

July 1, 2016 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , ,

Subsidized Phone: BLU R1 HD for $60 (Prime members only)

There’s a new development in the world of phone-buying and this time around it’s not T-Mobile that is changing things up, but rather Amazon. This new promotion is available to Prime members only, and borrows from the Kindle e-reader Special Offers philosophy. You get the phone at a discounted price and for that you get Special Offers on your Lock Screen, below your Notifications and have Amazon apps pre-installed on your device. This is still a no-contract unlocked phone, with the only exception being the Amazon subsidy restrictions.

The first phone to participate in this promotion is the brand new Blu R1 HD. It is available as either a 1GB RAM with 8GB on-board storage for $50 subsidized (or $100 unsubsidized), or 2GB RAM with 16GB on-board storage for $60 subsidized (or $110 unsusbisized). The decision between the two is crystal clear. For an extra $10, you have to to get the 2GB RAM and 16GB on-board storage. You will have fewer performance and multi-tasking restrictions with twice the RAM and internal storage!

[Read more…]

June 29, 2016 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , ,

Free 128GB microSDXC card with new Sony X Unlocked Smartphone for $550

Sony’s new line-up of X-series smartphones has arrived in the US market, and the mainstream option of this line, the “Sony Xperia X” is now available for $550 in four different colors, but that’s not all! Amazon.com is bundling this with a 128GB Sony-brnaded microSDXC memory card for the same price of $550. This is pretty good since the phone can take microSD cards up to 200MB! This particular combination is in-stock and shipping as of the time of writing.

This is their flagship deputy (or sidekick, choose your own analogy here), with a 5-inch 1080p display, 3GB RAM, 32GB on-board storage plus the aforementioned microSD slot. It is running Android 6.0, and is powered by the Snapdragon 650 and Adreno 510 combination. Its camera has a decent size sensor for a smartphone, a 1/2-inch Exmor RS.

The big decision for Sony fans may be between this and the X Performance flagship. Many of the specs are similar between the two, but the X Performance has the Snapdragon 820 and Adreno 530 combination and a slightly larger battery, along with IP68 water resistance certification (one of the early signature characteristics of Sony flagships). This goes for $700 and does not come with a free memory card. It is expected to ship in mid July.

The product pages mentioned above have a detailed list of compatible GSM providers as this is a factory unlocked phone with a USA warranty. The USA market has the usual suspects, AT&T, T-Magenta (okay, T-Mobile), their prepaid sidekicks (Cricket, MetroPCS), Straight Talk, Net10, H20 Wireless, and more.

June 28, 2016 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , ,

Nextbit Robin drops to $300 again [limit 3]

The cloud-friendly NextBit Robin smartphone is on sale again for $300, in new condition, with a USA warranty and without any contractual obligations, in two different colors, at Amazon by Amazon actual. Limit three per color per customer.

It averages 3.9 out of 5 based on 80+ customer reviews so far, its hype is more inner-circle of Android fans than the general mythical average consumer. This was a phone born out of Kickstarter after it brought it over $1 million in pledges.

June 7, 2016 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , ,

Double Figures Virgin Mobile Sale on the HTC Desire 626s and Moto G

If you like budget no-contract Android phones but want to avoid the super basic models, two of the reasonable trade-off type models are on sale for double figures at Virgin Mobile. The HTC Desire 626s (the “s” is part of the model name, it’s not plural) goes for $80 with free shipping, while the entry-level version of the Motorola Moto G (3rd generation) with 1GB RAM and 8GB on-board (but it has microSD) goes for $90.

There’s also the recently released LG Stylo 2 dropping to $150, however, LG just announced a newer version of this with 3GB RAM and 1080p screen and 32GB on-board storage and fingerprint support that will eventually come to North America but does not specify which carriers or when. See Phone Area for a spec comparison of the two models. I have no clue what the price of the new Plus will be though.

You can see these and other eligible phones on sale at the Virgin Mobile website. Many of the budget phones can be purchased with Account Balance, although after their website remodeling, you may have to call-in if you want to pay with account balance. It doesn’t seem to have an option when you order with the new website. Note however that some phones are not eligible for Account Balance pay. All the iPhones are excluded, and flagship-type phones (eg the Galaxy flagships of each year) are also excluded.

June 2, 2016 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , ,

Virgin Mobile Phone Sale headlined by Motorola Moto G for $85 (3rd gen; 1/8)

This is a nice deal, especially if you have available Virgin Mobile balance to pay for it, the third generation of the Motorola Moto G is on sale for $85 with free shipping, in new condition, without contract requirements, at Virgin Mobile. Please note however that this is the lower end model with 1GB RAM and 8GB on-board storage, so if you are reading reviews, make sure you pay attention to the distinctions. Motorola makes a 2GB RAM with 16GB on-board storage model, unfortunately that’s not available at Virgin Mobile.

While there, they have a couple of other prepaid phones on sale as well:

  • Kyocera Hydro REACH for $70 {you have to add it to the shopping cart to see the price}
  • Huaweii Union for $30

Note that these are locked to Virgin Mobile which runs on the Sprint network, so if you are fond of the more open GSM systems, these won’t work there. You may or may not be able to run them on other Sprint systems, check the various Android phones to see what else you can do with them. Do not assume they will work anywhere else unless you find out for sure.

But if you don’t want to use the cellular part, these definitely make good budget Wifi-only device for lightweight use at the home, eg a remote control of different media and internet of things products.

May 20, 2016 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , ,

Huawei Honor 5X for $160 (Unlocked 4G LTE, No Contract)

Mid-range is the new flagship in the world of smartphones these days as technology has advanced to the point where you can have a nice phone without breaking the bank on a flagship (unless you want to or it has must have features or performance).

If you are in the former category, the official NewEgg eBay store is offering the new condition, unlocked with USA warranty, Huawei Honor 5X Metal smartphone (formal name KIW-L24) for $160 with free shipping. You have three colors to pick from (gray, silver or gold) and up to five devices per eBay buyer (NewEgg enforces the limits). Already nearly 900 units got sold as of posting time.

[Read more…]

May 17, 2016 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , ,

LG G Stylo for $90 [Prepaid; Boost or Virgin]

I should preface this by saying that this is a phone with many trade-offs, so be sure to read up on the various reviews before buying it. Don’t buy it just because the price is low! If you are comfortable with its trade-offs, then it’s not a bad deal.

For $90, you can get the new condition LG G Stylo prepaid (no contract) smartphone running in either the Boost or Virgin Mobile network, both of which are “living” on Sprint’s network. The sale is by a marketplace seller but the order is fulfilled by Amazon, so you get some extra protection by dealing with Amazon’s shipment facilities and customer service.

You don’t have to sign up for any service with this phone, you can simply use it as a Wifi-only device. Size is not everything, just because it has a 5.7-inch screen it doesn’t mean it’s a flagship. It has only 1GB of RAM but comes with a built-in stylus, which is its main draw ~ eg if you want a note-taking type of a phone.

If you like the idea, but you find this too under-powered, a second generation is rolling out, out of the gate going for twice as much (perhaps the sale price is not a coincidence).

May 17, 2016 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , ,

Virgin Mobile Sale returns: Motorola Moto G (latest model 1GB/8GB) for $100, iPhone 5S for $150, etc

After the holidays ended, the prices jumped up at Virgin Mobile, but of course in the fast-paced world of smartphones, that wouldn’t last long. And indeed, there is a new sale now, headlined by the iPhone 5S (16GB) going for $150, and the 3rd-generation Motorola Moto G for $100. This is the latest model, however, this is the entry-level model with 1GB RAM and 8GB on-board storage. There’s also a model with 2GB RAM and 16GB on-board but unfortunately Virgin Mobile does not carry that one.

vm_sale_moto_GIII
Also on sale is the Huawei Union for $30, while Windows Phone fans have their Lumia 635 down to $50 (it had gone as low as $40 at some point in the year).

vm_sale_iphone_5S

These are no-contract phones, you own them, however, they are locked to the Virgin Mobile network, which is part of the Sprint 4G LTE infrastructure. Check the various phone forums to see which one of these phones can be hacked away to work on other Sprint MVNOs.

January 12, 2016 Filed Under: android, iPhones, windows phone Tagged With: , , , , , ,

[DEAD] Motorola Moto G (3rd gen) drops to $120 (VM)

The new year came (2016) and with it, all the Virgin Mobile USA phone discounts got washed away… But I’m sure they’ll have more sales in the next few days… CES is already underway and more phones are getting announced, so it’s natural for the existing models to eventually go through the discounting and clearance cycle…

[Read more…]

December 29, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

LG Stylo (Boost Mobile) for $100 [no contract]

We have yet another discount on the big screen LG Stylo. You can get in the Boost Mobile (part of the Sprint family) version for $100 with a limit of three per customer at Amazon by Amazon actual. You don’t have to sign up for a plan or contract, just add to cart and checkout. You can use it as a Wifi-only (perhaps as a note-taking?) device. It comes with a stylus, but please note this is not as advanced of a stylus technology like the Galaxy S-Pen or the ones used by MSFT’s Surface tablets. Despite its size and features, this is a mid-tier phone, it only has 1GB RAM and 8GB on-board storage.

Amazon also offers the Virgin Mobile version for $110, with no commitment and no contract. Or you can get that for $100 from VM’s own website as part of their holiday sales.

December 17, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , ,

[DEAD] New discounts at Virgin Mobile’s USA website

This sale ENDED in 2015…

[Read more…]

December 12, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , ,

HTC Desire 626S (Virgin Mobile) for $90

Phone discounts left and right! If you are using Virgin Mobile or if you simply need another Wifi-only device as an in-home remote control or media player, the no-contract HTC Desire 626s (the “s” is part of the name, it is newer than the 626) is currently on sale for around $90 at Amazon.com. This price is a by a marketplace seller fulfilled by Amazon (eligible for 2-day Prime), while Amazon’s own price is around $93. You own the phone immediately and you are under no obligation to sign up for a Virgin Mobile plan.

But keep in mind, this runs on the Sprint network (which is what Virgin uses), so you can’t use it with other providers as a cellphone. You can of course use it as a Wifi device anywhere.

December 2, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , ,

LG G Stylo (Virgin Mobile) for $100

IF you are suffering from smartphone hoarding, this is a very good/bad time, because there are so many specials and so many phones to have and try and compare and such 🙂 One more temptation is in right now, Virgin Mobile’s Cyber Monday offering is the new condition LG G Stylo for $100. No contract. You can only use it on Virgin Mobile (or any other compatible sister MVNO carriers) if you want a cellular plan. But if you only plan to use it as a Wifi device or mooch off your hotspot or other phones, then you can’t go wrong, especially if you like having a stylus.

Granted, the stylus is not at the level of the Samsung S-Pen or the Surface Pen, so you don’t have advanced features. But you can still scribble on that big 5.7-inch screen.

November 30, 2015 Filed Under: android Tagged With: , , , ,