Amazon Prime Members are in for a treat, as the retailer is putting not one but five smartphones on sale just for them.
While the selection doesn't include the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8 or the iPhone 7, it does have the Nokia 6, the Moto E4, and three Alcatel smartphones — the Idol 5S, A50, and A30 Plus.
In other words, Amazon is making affordable phones even more budget friendly, but as is the case with all things that seem too good to be true, there's one small catch: They'll be loaded with ads as part of the company's Prime Exclusive Phones program.
If that's not a deal breaker, then Amazon has got you covered on what could be your next smartphone.
Amazon Prime Smartphone Sale
Nokia 6 goes down to $179.99 from $229.99 (save $50): Recently confirmed to arrive in the United States this July, the Nokia 6 is one of those smartphones that can simply get the job done, and it doesn't leave a hole in your pocket to boot.
It sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display with a 1,080 x 1,920 resolution, a decent Snapdragon 430 paired with 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of native storage, and a 3,000 mAh battery. Out of the box, it'll run on Android 7.1 Nougat.
Moto E4 drops to $99.99 from $129.99 (save $30): Basically the budget version of the Moto G5 Plus, the Moto E4 brings modest performance to the table. Under the hood, it has a Snapdragon 425, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage, and a 2,800 mAh battery. It runs on Android 7.1 Nougat from the get-go and features a 5-inch HD display.
Alcatel Idol 5S gets $200 price tag instead of $280 (save $80): Coming in as the high-end option out of the bunch, the Alcatel Idol 5S packs a 5.2-inch Full HD display, Snapdragon 625, 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage, and a 2,620 mAh cell and runs on Android 7.1 Nougat.
Alcatel A50 will hold back customers by $100 instead of $150 (save $50): Deviating from the Snapdragon trend going on here, the Alcatel A50 is powered by a MediaTek 6738 and 2 GB of RAM. It offers 16 GB of storage, a 5.2-inch HD display, a 2,800 mAh battery, and Android 7.0 Nougat.
Alcatel A30 Plus slashed down to $80 from $130 (save $50): As the cheapest option in the list, the Alcatel A30 Plus houses a MediaTek 6738, 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage, and a 3,000 mAh battery and features a 5.5-inch HD display. Just like the A50, it runs on Android 7.0 Nougat.
Note: Only the Moto E4 is compatible with all four major U.S. carriers, namely AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon. The rest will work only on AT&T and T-Mobile.
Amazon Prime Discounts Not Free
As mentioned earlier, the Prime Exclusive Phones program puts certain smartphones up for sale in exchange for built-in ads. Put simply, those preloaded offers let Amazon earn back the cost of placing discounts on these devices.
For those who are thinking to buy the phones and just get rid of the company-specific modifications later, it's not that easy to pull it off. But it's not impossible, either.
The Bottom Line
Sure, knowingly giving Amazon the go-ahead to fill your phone with unwanted offers seems off-putting. Still, it's a good way to save a couple of bucks, but if the ads are too much to handle, then it's better to go with the standard models. The price difference isn't that big, after all.
