LG Stylo 2 for $75 (Boost or Virgin)

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).

Existing Customers only: Virgin Mobile USA Android phones are still available for purchase!

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.

Motorola Moto G (3rd generation; 1GB RAM, 8GB storage) for $50 [Virgin Mobile USA]

In addition to the previously mentioned LG Stylo 2 sale, the official Virgin Mobile USA online store also has a sale on the new condition Motorola Moto G (3rd generation) for $50 with free shipping. That’s it, you own it!

You don’t even have to start service with it, but it will pester you to activate when you reboot it. There are ways to make this less painful [see our post for the LG Stylo 2].

Note also that this is the entry-level of the third-generation Moto G models. Unlike most other smartphones, the entry-level model has half the RAM and half the on-board storage from the more advanced models. So with this one you get 1GB RAM and 8GB on-board storage.

I haven’t used this smartphone, but I have the first generation Moto G, and it’s holding up rather well considering it was a $20 phone when I bought way back then.

LG Stylo 2 (Virgin Mobile) drops to $80

The Virgin Mobile USA official online store has the new condition LG Stylo 2 Android smartphone on sale for $80 with free shipping.

You have no contractual obligation, so you can buy it and use it as a Wifi-only device if you want to. However, every time you reboot it will try to activate. You cannot stop that but you can counter it – see our detailed post on this.

This comes with Marshmallow out of the box, but a Nougat over-the-air update is already available for it. I have this phone, and I will post a review of it as a Marshmallow phone, and once I do that, I will upgrade it to Nougat.

One thing that makes me delay the Nougat update is that Nougat blocks the various Task Managers apps, so it makes it harder to monitor and kill misbehaving apps (if you like to do this sort of thing). This is particularly relevant for this device because LG is almost TouchWiz level of having all kinds of apps you can’t turn off or uninstall.

The phone is versatile compared to many of today’s phones, it has both a microSD and a removable battery. See what’s included in the box in our LG Stylo 2 unboxing post. Fear not, it’s only text and pictures, you won’t be bombarded with annoying videos and slideshows and whiny voices 🙂

As the Stylo in its name suggests, this comes with a built-in Stylus, HOWEVER, this is not the same level of a stylus and stylus integration as the Samsung S-Pen. Then again, the phone sells at a small fraction of the price of a Galaxy Note 🙂

Used iPhone 6 PLUS for $200 (Virgin Mobile)

If you want to get a more powerful iPhone without breaking the bank, $200 will get you a pre-owned 16GB iPhone 6 PLUS smartphone, with free shipping at Virgin Mobile. This is locked to Virgin Mobile, so you can’t use it on GSM networks or Verizon. I don’t know if it can be used on other Sprint networks.

This is available in three color options, and there is a limit of two per customers. While with some Android phones you can pay with an account balance, for iPhones, Virgin Mobile won’t let you pay with an account balance. You have to use “fresh money”, eg credit or debit card or PAYPAL.

Per the listing, you get a 90-day warranty on the used phones.

LG Stylo 2 (Virgin Mobile) for $80 [no contract!]

This is a great bang for the buck phone, whether you need one for Virgin Mobile or want to use it as a Wifi-only device, or having it grab internet from a hotspot or another connected phone. It is the new condition LG Stylo 2 for Virgin Mobile, on sale for $80 with free shipping, with a limit of up to three units per customer, at Amazon by Amazon actual. This comes with a Stylus that is included/stored in the phone’s body. It also has a removable battery and takes microSD cards. It has 2GB RAM of which is almost a must for today’s Android phones. It comes with Marshmallow out of the box.

I have this phone, and I am reviewing it in progress right now:

LG Stylo 2 for $100 (Boost or Virgin) [no contract]

If you like phones with a built-in stylus but don’t want to pay the Samsung flagship bucks for the Note line, there is a prepaid phone by LG available at a couple of Sprint’s cousins going for $100. It is the LG Stylo 2, a second generation model, going for $100 with free shipping at Amazon in the Virgin Mobile and the Boost Mobile.

NOTE: when reading reviews and price-checking around, make sure you are looking at the second generation model. The first generation model was under-powered and plagued by performance issues. The “2” has more reasonable specs and comes with Marshmallow out of the box. It has a 5.7-inch, 2GB RAM, Snapdragon 410, 16GB on-board plus microSD, etc. 2GB RAM is a good minimum to shoot for as apps, just like the web, get bloated as time goes by.

New iPhone 7s invade Virgin Mobile starting at $550 and $670 respectively

If you are a Virgin Mobile USA fan, and want to get the new iPhone 7s, you may want to “camp” on their website. They have listed the new iPhone 7 models, with prices starting at $550 for the iPhone 7, and $670 for the iPhone 7 Plus. There is a limit of two per customer, and as of posting time, they are both out of stock.

iphone7_virginmobile

The prices above are for the 32GB entry-point models. The rest of the storage-options follow the typically Apple prices, you go +$100 for every storage jump. So the 32GB to 128GB jump (there’s no more 64GB; which should have been the entry-point considering the prices but I’m digressing) is +$100, and the jump from 128GB to 256GB is another +$100. The price jumps are the same for the 7 and 7+.

None of the iPhones (old or new) can be purchased with Virgin Mobile account balance. Neither can the Galaxy S-flagships, but most of the other phones they have can. The “account balance” option is no longer available on their website, so you have to call their toll-free number and order (if you want to use your account balance). This makes sense if you have build up a big account balance.

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.

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.

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).

iPhone SE shows up for $300 at Virgin Mobile’s [currently OUT OF STOCK]

The brand new iPhone SE “small flagship” in the Apple line-up just showed up on the Virgin Mobile website for $300 for the 16GB version and $400 for the 64GB version. However, as of the time of writing this is marked “Out of stock”. It has/had a limit of two units per customer. Like all other iPhones, you have to pay with a credit card, you cannot use your Virgin Mobile account balance (some of the Galaxy flagships have the same restrictions but for the rest of the VM phones, you can use your account balance to buy them).

As usual with VM, there is no contract, it is month to month, and for Apple devices, if you sign up for Auto Pay (they automatically charge your card on a monthly basis until you cancel), you get $5 off on your monthly total, every month as long as you have service with them (and Auto Pay active).

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.

[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…]

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

This sale ENDED in 2015…

[Read more…]