So the Kyocera Hydro was a total failure. It was too slow to even type on, let alone load any web pages. The mane problem was the camera had permanently blurry regions. The lion kingdom didn't realize how important the phone cam had become until it didn't work. Japanese electronics once again came in far behind, subsidized by quantitative easing but not improving in 30 years.

In the world of phones, no matter what the problem is, the solution is to change providers. Boost Mobile had become cheaper than Virgin in the last 3 years. Virgin jacked up LG's bottom end, but Boost was still affordable.

The LG Tribute HD is a miracle for the price. It's lighter & thinner than all the other cheap phones. While noticeably slower than its predecessors, it's still faster than the Kyocera & a $50 screen of this resolution was unthinkable 3 years ago even if it's nowhere close to an iPhone. The camera isn't iPhone quality, but not a total failure like the Kyocera. LG cameras have always been just good enough. The internal flash was finally big enough to eliminate the need for an SD card. The Moto X wouldn't have been worth it.

It may have been inconsequential for someone who lived 30 years ago, but a screen where you can't see the pixels now seems essential. Part of the appeal may be that it looks like an iPhone.

Interestingly, below the Tribute HD are now $30 phones with decent screens, which can be used as real cheap standlone computers without a plan. A phone can be just a car music system or a dashcam for a lot less money than a stock device.


The day job has real nice phones which require hideous plans. The Galaxy S5 needs a $55 Verizon plan.

ultra mobile is cheaper than boost.