Sprint and their prepaid brand Boost Mobile have just announced that they’re going to be carrying the LG Rumor Reflex. Is it a smartphone? Nope, it runs some proprietary dumb phone (politically correct term is feature phone) operating system. Does it have any impressive specifications? Ehhh, it has a 3 inch 400 × 240 pixel resolution display, 2 megapixel camera, QWERTY keyboard for those of you who want the feedback from physical keys, and all you hippies out there will be pleased to know that 31% of the outside of the device has been made out of recycled materials. The Reflex will cost you $30 with a 2 year contract on Sprint or $80 up front if you want to go month to month with Boost Mobile. Oh and that $30 is actually $80, but then you have to mail in a rebate card and wait who knows how long before you get back $50.
The big question: Should you buy this thing? Looking at Boost’s portfolio, they offer a $100 Android 2.3 smartphone called the Samsung Replenish. It has a lower resolution screen than the Reflex, but at least it runs a smartphone operating system. Not only that, it also has a QWERTY keyboard. Whereas the Reflex uses a slide out design that may or not me reliable since it’s a moving part, the Replenish looks like your run of the mill BlackBerry. It’s just $20 more folks, and you’re getting Google’s mobile OS.
If you can do without the QWERTY keyboard, then may we suggest you look at AT&T. They’re selling Apple’s iPhone 3GS for $0.99 with a 2 year contract. That’s an incredible bargin and your best option if you want to go for a budget device. Your bill might be a bit higher on AT&T compared to Boost, but hey, this is an iPhone we’re talking about.
We’re curious, who do you think offers the best deal for the budget conscious crowd?