Here’s Where You Can Get a Brand New Smartphone for Under $50

Amazon sells several smartphones at prices as low as $50 for Prime members – just be prepared to see some ads on your lock screen.

Amazon has several super-cheap smartphone deals reserved for its Prime members. These phones come from big name brands and feature everything you need – but at a price that might be cheaper than repairing your cracked screen.

Amazon calls them “Prime Exclusive Phones.” There are 5 in total, from names you’ve heard of like Motorola and Alcatel, and others you haven’t like BLU.

These phones won’t wow you with extra features or the best cameras in the world, but they will let you make calls, send texts, take pictures and even download the latest Android apps at a price that can’t be beaten. As a bonus, they are sold unlocked, which means they work on most major carriers without any contracts.

I checked out three of the most popular phones Amazon sells – here are my thoughts.

BLU R1 HD

This phone starts at just $50! For that price, you get 8 gigabytes of storage and 1 gigabyte of RAM. I would pay the extra $10 to upgrade to double the storage and RAM so your phone will run a little faster. This phone really impresses me for the price. The screen is bright, it ran fast and the camera will take OK pictures. It also has a nice design and you can add extra memory with an SD card. It is an unlocked GSM phone which means it will work with T-Mobile and AT&T, plus smaller carriers that run on their networks like MetroPCS and Cricket. This is an amazing deal at $50.

Alcatel A30

I wasn’t as impressed with the Alcatel A30. It costs $60 but I feel like the screen never got bright enough. It also feels slower than the BLU phone and photos didn’t look as good. The big benefit here is that they have a version of this phone that works on CDMA networks, namely Verizon. So if you have a contract or account with them, you can easily switch over to this phone in a pinch.

Moto G5 Plus

If you have a bit more in your phone budget, go with this phone. It sells for $185 and is an amazing value. You get nearly all of the big features of today’s top phones at a fraction of the price. The G5 Plus also has a fingerprint reader, so you’ll be able to unlock your phone fast. The neat thing is this phone works on all of the major carriers – including AT&T, Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile and of course many of the smaller carriers that run on their networks. You’ll be very happy with this phone – it has a fast camera, a big, bright screen, fast processor, expandable memory and is even splash resistant.

Just keep in mind part of the reason these phones are discounted from their retail price is that they are loaded with Amazon apps and special offers. For starters, the lock screen will display a rotating selection of Amazon ads and product offers. Once you’re inside, you’ll notice that they are pre-loaded with just about every Amazon app imaginable. They also won’t take the best pictures or handle mobile payments. But if you’re on a tight budget and need something to get you through, they will fit the bill.