Amazon’s Prime Exclusive Phones program offers steep discounts

Why it matters to you

If you don’t mind putting up with ads on your lockscreen, Amazon’s Prime Exclusive Phones program offers discounts that are hard to refuse.

Amazon’s Prime Exclusive Phones program is a real steal — with a catch. If you’re a member of the retailer’s $100-a-year Prime program and agree to let Amazon stick advertisements on your smartphone’s lockscreen, you can nab a device for a discount. Now, just about a year after the Prime Phones’ launch, Amazon is adding five new devices to the bargain bin lineup: The Nokia 6, the Alcatel Idol 5S, the Alcatel A50, the Alcatel A30 Plus, and the Motorola Moto.

The discounts are nothing to shake a stick at. Here’s what is heading to Amazon Prime Exclusive Phones this month:

• The Nokia 6, HMD Global’s new Nokia-branded smartphone, will go on sale for $180 ($50 off the full retail price). It features a polished aluminum design and a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, rounded out by a Snapdragon Qualcomm processor (paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage), a 16MP rear camera and 8MP front camera, dual Dolby Atmos speakers, and a fingerprint sensor. It’s compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile.
• Alcatel’s IDOL 5S, normally $280, will retail for $200 — the largest discount ever offered for a Prime Exclusive Phone. It packs a 2.5D curved glass design, a 5.2-inch Full HD display, a 12MP rear camera and 8MP front camera, a fingerprint sensor, and 32GB of internal storage (expandable up to 256GB via microSD card).
• Alcatel’s A50, normally $150, will hit Prime Exclusive Phones for $100. It boasts a 5.2-inch HD display, a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal storage. Uniquely, the A50 ships bundled with the LightUp Snapbak LED cover, a light-up case that illuminates when calls, messages, e-mails, and more come in.
• Alcatel’s A30 Plus will be available for $80 for Prime members ($50 off the full retail price). It features a metallic silver finish and a 5.5-inch HD display, plus a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory (up to 32GB via MicroSD card), and a 3,000mAh battery. It’s compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile, with support for Verizon to come after an update this summer.
• Motorola’s recently announced Moto E4 will be offered at $100 for Prime members ($30 off the full retail price). It’s got a compact metal design, a 5-inch 720p HD display, a respectable pair of cameras (8MP rear and 5MP front), a fingerprint sensor and 2,800mAh battery, and 2GB of RAM paired with 16GB of internal storage. It works with AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, and Verizon.

A word of warning before you pull the trigger, though: You’ll have to acquiesce to Amazon’s advertisements. The retailer reserves the right to put “personalized” offers and ads — including deals and product recommendations — on Prime Exclusive Phones’ lockscreens.

That said, Amazon’s devices aren’t without little conveniences. They ship automatically signed into Amazon’s services an apps, including (but not limited to) Prime Video, Prime Music, Amazon’s cloud storage service Prime Photos, and e-book lending program Prime Reading. And they come with Prime’s other benefits, including one free e-book every month, two-day shipping on 50 million items, one-day shipping and same-day shipping in more than 5,000 cities and towns, and more.

It’s not exactly surprising, then, that Prime Exclusive Phones have been a resounding success. According to Amazon, the discounted devices have been “constantly featured” in the top 5 best-selling unlocked phones list on Amazon and among the “top rated” unlocked smartphones on Amazon.com.