Over at Amazon the LG Optimus Exceed 2 smartphone is on sale for $11.99. It usually sells for cheap but this is taking it to a new level of affordability.
It’s a Verizon prepaid phone but you can bypass activation with Verizon and just use the phone over WiFi as a portable media device for things like music, videos, and ereading.
If you don’t want to use it as a phone through Verizon, it’s basically like getting a 4.5-inch Android tablet for $12.
Considering all the people that read on smartphones these days, this is about as cheap as it gets for an ereader, and it can install a bunch of Android reading apps so it can be used for just about any kind of ereading.
The LG Optimus Exceed 2 doesn’t have a high-end screen like some smartphones. It has a 4.5-inch 800 x 400 resolution display for 199 ppi, which okay for reading but not great.
You can still use it as a phone too for calls and texting over WiFi with Google Voice. That makes it a good option as a secondary phone or what’s basically a free phone for someone that has WiFi access at work, home, or school.
The LG Optimus Exceed 2 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat and comes with Google Apps and Google Play for installing apps and games. It has a 5MP rear camera with LED flash, 4GB of internal storage, and a microSD card slot for cards up to 32GB. Battery life is rated at up to 12 hours of talk time.
It’s uncanny you posted this, as I have some I’m giving as Christmas gifts. I’ve had a few family members request MP3 players for presents and I felt this made a better fit. Along with all the other stuff they could use It for besides listening to music. You cannot beat the price at all for what your getting. I have them paired with some headphones and think they will be happy campers come Christmas. 🙂
at $12 for a spare wifi phone and ereader ain’t that bad… 🙂
Minor nitpick, the resolution is 800 x 400. Resolution of 800 x 600 would make the screen more of a square …
Oh, you’re right. That’s what I get for reading a customer review…
On a side issue: I don’t recommend buying this phone for its camera. The LG drivers for its 5 megapixel cameras are problematic, including marking all photos as having been taken on December 8, 2002.
On Black Friday, Best Buy was selling the newest (2015 version) prepaid Verizon Moto E for $10 and I picked it up just for this reason. 4.5 inch, 960×540 display, 245 ppi, Gorilla Glass 3. Snapdragon 1.2gHz quad core processor that supports up to a 32 gig micro SSD card and runs Lollipop. For $10!