Yahoo unveiled its first-ever smartphone, as it tries to establish itself as a budget phone service.
Once the darling of the internet companies, Yahoo fell on hard times before eventually being acquired by Verizon. Back in March, Verizon launched Yahoo Mobile, a low-budget cell phone service. Its claim to fame is combining Verizon’s network with the ad-free Yahoo Mail Pro, all for $39.99 a month.
Now the company is releasing its first-ever smartphone, the Yahoo Mobile ZTE Blade A3Y. The phone is $49.99 and comes in Yahoo’s trademark purple.
“As the world continues to adapt to a new socially-distant normal, content and connectivity have become key for consumers who are craving new experiences and connections to the ones they love,” said Guru Gowrappan, CEO of Verizon Media. “With the launch of the Yahoo Mobile phone, we are bringing a unique and valuable offering to users with Yahoo’s unified suite of products, trusted content, commerce and the reliability of Verizon’s unparalleled network.”
In many ways, Yahoo Mobile and its new phone seem like a solution in search of a problem. With the myriad of budget services that piggyback on one of the big three carriers, the new phone and service may live or die based on how much customers like Yahoo’s services.