Skip to main content

Verizon launches first budget LTE phone, the Pantech Breakout on September 22

Pantech Breakout LTE AndroidFresh on the heels of the Droid Bionic Verizon announces yet another 4G LTE Android phone.  The Pantech Breakout will be the first budget friendly LTE phone on Verizon’s network.  On contact the Breakout can be had for only $100, which is half the price of the next cheapest phone in the stable.  The Breakout will become available later this week on September 22.

There doesn’t seem to be any one reason why the Breakout is half the price of the LG Revolution, or one third the price of the Droid Charge.  It will be the first Verizon LTE device to not have a 4.3 inch screen, but it is by no means a small screen measuring in at 4 inches.   Even with a smaller screen it has the same resolution as the LG Revolution, Droid Charge, and HTC Thunderbolt, which means it has a higher pixel density.

The Breakout also features a 1 gigahertz processor, but the brand of processor is not mentioned in the press release.  With the exception of the Droid Bionic all the other LTE devices have a 1 gigahertz processor.  There is also no mention of the size of the battery, and with battery life being a common problem among LTE phones this might be an issue. 

The Breakout will also feature Android Gingerbread 2.3, with what looks to be a custom skin provided by Pantech.  As of right now there are no stock Android options on Verizon’s LTE network, but that could change if all the rumors of a Droid Prime are true.

It is far too early to start passing judgment on an unreleased phone.  Just comparing the specs of this phone verses the other LTE options on Verizon it does not appear to be a budget phone.  If the Breakout can match the performance of the other 1 gigahertz LTE phones, and have decent battery life looks to be a great deal at only $100.

Editors' Recommendations

Mike Dunn
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mike graduated from University of Arizona with a degree in poetry, and made his big break by writing love sonnets to the…
Apple has quietly killed its cheapest iPad
Three 2021 iPads are stacked on a table.

The iPad lineup has received a price bump after Apple quietly killed its cheapest iPad model. Apple’s 9th-generation iPad used to cost $329, but has been discontinued. At the same time, the company has reduced the 10th-gen iPad’s starting price by $100, which means it’s now priced at $349. As a result, getting the cheapest iPad means you'll now spend $20 more than before.

The 9th-gen Apple iPad was launched in 2021 with the A13 chipset and Apple's Center Stage featur,e but retained the same old design with the already-old Lightning port and home button. With Apple moving to a USB-C port on all devices to comply with EU laws, it was inevitable that Apple would discontinue the 9th-gen iPad this year. The iPhone SE remains the only Apple product with a home button and a Lightning port that's still available in the company's lineup.

Read more
Best iPhone 15 deals: How to get Apple’s latest iPhone for free
The display on a green iPhone 15.

The Apple iPhone lineup isn’t often a place to turn for a discount, as Apple deals can be somewhat difficult to come by. The best phone deals often turn up discounts on less premium brands, but there are some ways to save on the iPhone 15, which is Apple’s most recent iPhone release. You’ll find some of the best iPhone 15 deals scattered across retailers, which is why we’ve done some of the heavy lifting and organized them all below. Among the best iPhone deals you’ll find below are some impressive savings even if you don’t have an old device to trade-in.

You can also shop the best refurbished iPhone deals if you’re looking for ultimate savings, and there are plenty of iPhone 14 deals to shop if having the most recent iPhone release isn’t of importance to you.
Today's best iPhone 15 deals

Read more
The 10 most important things to know about the Google Pixel 8a
Promo image for the Google Pixel 8a, showing renders of the phone in all four colors.

Google has just announced the next Pixel A-series device -- the new Google Pixel 8a. The A-series is the more budget-friendly Pixel option, and it comes out halfway in the cycle to the next mainline Pixel device.

This year, the Pixel 8a offers some big upgrades over its predecessor, the Google Pixel 7a. It’s also more similarly matched with the standard Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, both of which came out in October 2023.

Read more