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Love Ads? Boy, Do We Have the Phone for You

Photo: Amazon

If you want an unlocked Android phone for the rock-bottom price of $50, Amazon’s got just the gadget for you. There’s only one catch! You have to be willing to withstand the hot, white light of ads emanating from your phone every time you look at your lock screen.

Starting today, Amazon Prime members can purchase the BLU R1 HD or the Motorola Moto G at a discount. The BLU phone rings in at $49 and the Moto G at $149. (Which not for nothing makes both devices relatively reasonably priced for what they are and offer.) And unlike Amazon’s past forays into phones (remember the Fire phone?), these devices offer your typical suite of Google apps, like YouTube and Chrome. Still, there’s that whole ad thing to consider.

Truthfully, the best piece of tech I own, the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, has ads. (It was $20 cheaper than the ad-free version, so naturally that was the one I picked.) And the ads don’t really bug me for the few seconds I see them when I flick the device on for a subway ride or a pre-bedtime chapter. But, as Gizmodo points out, you likely look at your phone screen a whole lot more frequently than you do an e-reader. (I write this as I look at my locked phone for a Bumble notification and to check the time.) And if you are checking your Kindle for the time, maybe you don’t need to buy a reduced-price phone. Maybe you just need to buy a watch.

Love Ads? Boy, Do We Have the Phone for You