Amazon has the famous “not so bad” shitphone for $50 shipped today (44% off)

Premium phones from Apple, Samsung and other mainstream companies (generally) run smoothly, look beautiful and are often able to illicit wonder with new features we’ve never seen before. They also come with bloated $600-$850 price tags. The smartphone market is past its infancy, in fact it feels like it’s in its twilight years with wearables and VR technology nipping at its backside. That makes the timing perfect for the now famous breed of “shitphones” that John Herrman immortalized to have their run at a whopping less than 90+% less than the cost of premium phones.

Neatly packed around the thick, light, shiny phone were headphones, a case, and a screen protector. I installed my SIM and slotted in an $8 SD card. I activated the phone and installed my apps. The screen was fine, the software was Android (4.2.2, aka “Jelly Bean”: not new but not abandoned). The camera took pictures, the internet connected. It was mostly charged, and so we began

Sure you’re going to have to make some sacrifices to switch from an iPhone to a shitphone, but you’ll also save a ton of money. BLU Advance 4.0, the famous “not so bad” shitphone, is on sale for $49.99 shipped today at Amazon, which is 44% below list and the best deal we’ve seen. It has a 4-inch WVGA Display, runs Android 4.2.2 (Jelly bean – and who knows maybe Cyanogen can get it up and beyond 5?), and sports a 1.3GHz Processor. The camera is a decent 5 Megapixels and you can scoff at your iPhone bearing friends because it has a built-in FM radio and it accepts up to Micro SD cards (grab a 32GB SanDisk for $14).

Did we mention it costs $50? In Black OR White. Works on AT&T, T-Mobile or any GSM carrier. Even 2 at a time!

You probably spend that much on drinks at your local watering hole on a moderate night. Maybe you are just interested in checking out (an outdated version of) Android or need a backup device that has 2 SIM cards. Or maybe your kid who breaks everything needs something you aren’t going to cry over when the screen comes back cracked? Maybe someone you don’t like has a birthday coming up? Maybe you want to make a stack of 17 of these and put it next to a decked out iPhone 6 Plus that costs more and ask which would you rather have? There are lots of reasons to buy a shitphone. Heck, it is an Amazon BestSeller for crying out loud and gets 4.3/5 star ratings? How is this even possible?

In any case, this is a phone with year or two old specs for $50. What have you got to lose?

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