Sometimes you don’t need a high-end smartphone with more bells and whistles than you can shake a stick at. Luckily, affordable, no-frills phones aren’t that hard to come by, and LG is among the manufacturers leading the charge. A prime example is the LG X Venture, a budget phone initially exclusive to AT&T that is now coming to U.S. Cellular.
The LG X Venture is available for $300 from U.S. Cellular’s online and brick-and-mortar stores. If the outright price doesn’t float your boat, though, there’s an alternative: Eligible customers have the option of signing up for a two-and-a-half-year, $12-a-month installment plan.
The X Venture hit AT&T’s airwaves on May 26 for $350, and it’s available for as little as $11 per month for AT&T Next customers.
The LG X Venture’s angular, textured body won’t win any design awards, but manages to cram midrange hardware into a compact package. The X Venture boasts a 5.2-inch FHD (1920 x 1080 pixels), Gorilla Glass-shielded screen and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 435 processor, plus 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Two cameras — one 16MP camera on the rear and a 5MP on the front — handle picture-taking duties, and a fingerprint sensor conceals your personal files and photos from wandering eyes.
The X Venture is durable, too. It can withstand 14 different military toughness tests, and it’s IP68 rated, meaning it can survive water up to a depth of 30 meters for five minutes. The X Venture’s 4,100mAh battery can charge quickly — up to 100 percent capacity in as few as two hours. And it ships with LG’s Outdoor Essentials app, which packs a compass, barometer, exercise tracker, activity counter, weather report, flashlight, and more.
Business customers can take advantage of the X Venture’s Push-to-Talk feature, which makes it possible to connect quickly to contacts over a cellular connection or Wi-Fi.
“Today’s consumers want a phone that looks great, doesn’t skimp on features and can easily handle their on-the-go lifestyle,” Juno Cho, president of LG, said in a press release. “Whether you’re an adventurist who needs a phone tough enough to be your sidekick on demanding hikes and record-setting workouts, or a multitasker who wants a phone that can withstand the curveballs and surprises each day may throw at you, the LG X venture was built to ensure you can feel unstoppable and look good doing it.”
Update: Added U.S. Cellular availability and pricing information.
