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Amazon Prime Exclusive phones: how much can you save?
Membership has its privileges, and Amazon Prime membership is no exception. For one, it can get you some sweet deals on new, unlocked phones. These deals are limited to Prime members, giving you steep discounts in exchange for putting up with a few lock screen ads. The price difference is sometimes as much as 25% — not insignificant.
Still, with these phones you need Prime and have to put up with ads, so the ultimate question is “Is this really a bargain?” It depends largely on how you feel about ads.
Though it’s important to point out that these phones do come with Amazon’s own modifications, I think it’s as important to point out that for most users, these advertisements probably won’t be all that bad. Essentially, Amazon inserts ads in two ways: when you have no personal notifications, the company will use the entire lock screen to promote its content, whether it’s an app, a new best-selling novel, or a Prime-exclusive TV show. Often times, these full-screen ads feature pleasant images and aren’t all that intrusive. The second type appears when you do have personal notifications displayed on the lock screen. Amazon will resort to a simple card-style ad, which blends in with all other notifications – for better or worse.
As for the apps that come pre-loaded on these phones, most of them can be disabled and tucked away, and they don’t actually take up a lot of space.
If ads aren’t an issue for you? We’d recommend giving these deals a serious look. Keep in mind that these deals are really best only if you already have Amazon Prime or think you’ll use the other benefits once you sign up. The savings are good, but not enough to sign up for Prime if you’re not using it for anything else.
With all that out of the way, here’s our roundup of the best Amazon Prime phones.
Moto E Plus 4th Generation
Motorola is one of the leaders in midrange phones, and is even offering good options at the budget price point — below $200. The Moto E is just such a device. It’s nothing to brag about, but it is a decent little phone for the price.
This phone works for all four major US carriers. Its primary feature is the ridiculous 5,000 mAh battery, allowing it to run for days on a single charge. Beyond that, The metallic design looks gorgeous and the water resistant nano-coating on the inside of the phone makes this phone resistant to splashes. All that and there’s a fingerprint sensor.
The phone retails for $169.99 on Amazon, but if you opt to have ads on your lock screen, you’re shaving off $50, down to $119.99 at the time of this writing. That’s a steal for any smartphone, let alone one with this much going for it.
Specs
- 5.5-inch HD with 1280×720 resolution, 267 ppi
- Snapdragon 427
- 2 GB of RAM
- 16/32 GB of onboard storage, microSD expansion up to 128 GB
- 13 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
- Non-removable 5,000 mAh battery
- Android 7.1 Nougat
- 155 x 77.5 x 9.55 mm, 181 g
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Moto X4
If you want to step up your Motorola game, you can check out the Moto X4. Also available as a Prime Exclusive, there is no ad-free version of this phone. You can only order the ad-version for $329.99. That’s a bargain when you consider everything this phone has to offer. The glass construction feels premium in the hand. Plus this phone carries a headphone jack and IP68 water resistance. That’s not often seen at this price point.
The Moto X4 is also the cheapest phone on the market that will work with Project Fi. Project Fi is Google’s carrier service which utilizes various networks based on strength. It’s also fairly inexpensive, which makes it particularly attractive to customers in the US.
Check out our full review of the phone below and if you want to save some money and don’t mind ads, give it a go!
Specs
- 5.2-inch FHD with 1080×1920 resolution, 424 ppi
- Snapdragon 630
- 3 GB of RAM
- 32 GB of on-board storage, microSD expansion up to 2 TB
- Dual 12 and 8 MP rear cameras, 16 MP front camera
- Non-removable 3,000 mAh battery
- Android 7.1 Nougat
- 148.35 x 73.4 x 7.99 mm, 163 g
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LG G6
LG introduced us to the 18:9 aspect ratio in early 2017, and redefined how we look at bezels in modern smartphones. As it happens, LG offers a Prime Exclusive version of the LG G6 at a substantial savings. This phone has one of the best dual camera setups. Both sensors are 13 MP; one is a standard-angle lens while the other is a wide-angle lens. This allows you to capture those close up shots and take in all the detail you need.
The LG G6 is one of the most reliable phones of the year, featuring not only IP68 water resistance but also MIL-STD-810G certification. The Snapdragon 821 processor on the inside will keep your phone zipping along with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of onboard storage.
The price of the phone though is what is most important. Amazon sells this phone for just $399, which is wild for a 2017 flagship. That’s also $130 lower than the no-ad price ($529.99). That is a steal for this phone.
Specs
- 5.7-inch with 1440×2880 resolution (18:9), 564 ppi
- Snapdragon 821
- 4 GB of RAM
- 32 GB of onboard storage, microSD expansion up to 2 TB
- Dual 13 MP rear cameras, 5 MP front camera
- Non-removable 3,300 mAh battery
- Android 7.o Nougat
- 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm, 163 g
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LG Q6
LG has a great offering available in the Amazon Prime exclusive family. The LG Q6 (not to be mistaken for the LG G6) has a premium look and feel and an extra juicy benefit for ad-bearing phones. Advertisements will take a hefty $70 off the tag price, bringing the price down to $229.99.
The LG Q6 is almost as attractive as its older sibling, the G6. The display is a full vision, 18:9 aspect ratio display. The phone is compact and easy to hold. The Q6 has a metal frame, glossy back, and solid build. There is no fingerprint reader on this device, but it has a face unlock feature, which is somewhat unreliable.
This phone still bears a 3.5 mm headphone jack, but it also carries a microUSB charging/data port. The phone battery can last up to 4.5 hours of screen-on time, which is pretty solid for a phone at this price point.
Specs
- 5.5-inch FHD with 2160×1080 resolution (18:9), 442 ppi
- Snapdragon 435
- 3 GB of RAM
- 32 GB of onboard storage, microSD expansion up to 256 GB
- 13 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
- Non-removable 3,000 mAh battery
- Android 7.1.1 Nougat
- 142.5 x 69.3 x 8.1 mm, 149 g
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Nokia 6
At MWC last year, Nokia unveiled its new line of smartphones. The Nokia 6 led that lineup with its gorgeous design, including a 5.5-inch display. The body is what draws the oohs and ahhs. The phone is cut from a solid block of 6000 series aluminum, then anodized and polished. The result is a beautiful phone that is slick looking and comfortable to hold.
The phone itself runs very smoothly, aided by the Snapdragron 430 processor and 3 GB of RAM. It sports a 16 MP camera on the back and an 8 MP camera on the front. The Amazon Prime version of the phone comes with 32 GB of storage on board and is expandable up to 256 GB.
Like most amazon Prime-exclusive phones, having lock screen ads will save you $50. The prime version of the phone is $179.99, and the ad-free version s $229.99. That’s a pretty big chunk off the price to put up with ads — worth it in our opinion.
Specs
- 5.5-inch FHD with 1920×1080 resolution, 403 ppi
- Snapdragon 430
- 3 GB of RAM
- 32 GB of onboard storage, microSD expansion up to 256 GB
- 16 MP rear camera, 8 MP front camera
- Non-removable 3,000 mAh battery
- Android 7.1.1 Nougat
- 154 x 75.8 x 7.9 mm, 169 g
LG X Charge
Finally LG brings us the LG X Charge. The standout spec on this phone is the 4,500 mAh battery that resides within this phone’s chassis. LG claims you’ll see two full days of battery life out of this phone, and we have no reason to doubt that. This is a budget phone that still sports a 5.5-inch HD screen, leaving you plenty of screen real estate to get things done.
The rear camera is a 13 MP shooter with HDR control while the 5 MP front-facing screen has face detection, making selfies a breeze. Like other Prime Exclusive phones, the LG X Charge comes with a full suite of Amazon apps — Kindle, Prime Video, and more so you can jump right into your Amazon account.
This phone comes with or without ads. Including ads on the lock screen shaves 25 percent off the purchase price at $149.99, versus $199.99 without ads. That’s a pretty substantial discount, and $149.99 for a phone like this is a pretty sweet deal.
Specs
- 5.5-inch HD with 1280×720 resolution, 267 ppi
- MediaTek MT6750
- 2 GB of RAM
- 16 GB of onboard storage, microSD expansion up to 2 TB
- 13 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
- Non-removable 4,500 mAh battery
- Android 7.0 Nougat
- 155 x 78 x 8 mm, 165 g
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