Cricket Wireless has two sub-$50 phones: ZTE Overture 3 and Alcatel QuickFlip

Why it matters to you

Looking for a super-cheap phone? Cricket Wireless’ new phones will be in your price range.

Cricket Wireless is making it a little easier to get a decent phone at an ultra-low cost. The company has announced two new phones available on its network — the ZTE Overture 3 and the Alcatel QuickFlip, two phones that come in at under $50.

As the name suggests the Alcatel QuickFlip is actually a flip phone — and as such it’s really targeted at being someone’s first phone or at those looking to have a simple device they can use to call and text friends and family. It offers a 2.8-inch display and 4G connectivity, along with a 1,350mAh battery — which may not sound like much, but should be enough to power your phone for quite a while, given its size.

Perhaps more interesting is the new ZTE Overture 3, which comes in at $50 and, unlike the QuickFlip, has a smartphone form-factor. Cricket Wireless is actually offering the phone to free for those that switch from another carrier — though current customers can get it for the aforementioned price of $50.

So what does the Overture 3 have to offer? Well, it offers a 5-inch display, along with a five-megapixel rear-facing camera, and HD Voice capabilities. It also has support for an FM radio. Apart from that, however, we don’t really know too much about the phone, except that it will be available on November 10 and that it seems to be a pretty decent choice for those looking for an ultra-budget device. There aren’t a ton of devices available for under $50, but as companies expand their offerings into new markets, we are seeing more super-cheap phones.

Of course, if you do like the phone, you have to either be on Cricket Wireless or be willing to make the switch. Thankfully, Cricket has some pretty decent prepaid plans. For example, you could pay $30 per month for unlimited talk and text and 1GB of data, or you could pay double that for unlimited talk, text, and data. That is not bad, especially when the likes of Verizon offer unlimited data for $75 per month, or $85 if you don’t want the company to limit your speed in times of high congestion. If you want other phones on Cricket Wireless, the company recently announced that it’s offering the ZTE Blade X.

In any case, both of the phones will be available from Cricket Wireless starting on November 10. The QuickFlip will cost $30, while the Overture 3 comes in at $50.

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