Walmart is selling two actual smartphones for $10, but there are a few setbacks: what you pay for is exactly what you get. The two phones in question are the LG Sunrise L15G and LG Lucky LG16, and it could work really well as a backup phone or an emergency last resort.
Surprisingly Enough, Walmart’s $10 Smartphones Have Decent Specs
The LG Sunrise L15G has a 3.8-inch display, and runs on Android KitKat, which is two versions behind their latest. It has a 1.2GHz processor, 512 MB RAM. In terms of camera, it has a 3 megapixel main camera, and it comes with a 4GB microSD card. For $10, these customers will have full access to all apps available in Google Play, which is a pretty solid deal.
Major Setback: Walmart Smartphones Are Locked to TracFone
In the list of drawbacks that come with this sweet and sour Walmart deal, there’s the fact that the phones are locked to TracFone, a US pre-paid mobile carrier. TracFone was in a bit of a pinch earlier in 2015 for keeping phones locked to their network even after making a commitment to unlock them, which faced them with enforcement action from the FCC as well as an $80 million settlement charge.
Considering that the settlement is made up of fees of $10 for every unit that wasn’t unlocked (numbered at 8 million), Walmart is doing these phones and this carrier the justice it truly deserves.
Minor Setback: Walmart Smartphones Are Discounted
Add to that the fact that the $10 price comes from a Walmart discount, and it really makes you wonder if this is an actually worthwhile buy.
There are other options in the market, like the Nokia 105 for $20, that could make for a more durable buy, but that’s for the customers to decide. It’s not every day that one gets a semi-decent phone for only $10.
