Walmart is making headlines this week for releasing a $10 Android phone. That phone, made from LG, costs a grand total of $9.82 USD.
How on earth does this work?
The phone, which goes by the technical name TracFone LG L15G Sunrise – has some impressive specs for costing less than a strong cocktail. For example, its specs include:
-3.8-inch touchscreen display
-1.2GHz dual core processor
-3MP camera
-3G and Wi-Fi support
-4GB internal memory (delivered via included microSD card)
-1540 mAh battery
-Runs Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box
Obviously, that’s not going to beat the Galaxy S6 in a performance test anytime soon. But it’s $10.
The phone is called an LG TracFone
The phone was sold out at the time of writing and was at the very top of the “Walmart best selling phones” page. You can check if any units are currently here.
This isn’t even cheapest phone available through Walmart’s TracFone brand. Other phones include the $9 TracFone LG440G (although it’s a flip phone) and the $4.99 TracFone LG 237C Prepaid Smartphone (another flip phone).
What’s the Catch?
Take a look at the specs above. 10 years ago, those specs would have been cutting edge. In 2015, they’re not. It’s cheaper than ever to make a phone, and with Walmart’s bulk purchasing agreements, you can bet they’ve trimmed their margins at every step of the way.
With that in mind, there’s not really a “catch” to this $10 Android phone.
It’s a no-contract phone: so you can hook it up to any provider or buy from some of Walmart’s prepaid plans.
If you don’t mind the atrocious tech specs and not being able to run many modern Android apps, then the TracFone LG L15G Sunrise Prepaid Smartphone is quite the bargain.
