Selectel Wireless announced in a Facebook post that it is now carrying the Samsung Galaxy A50. The Verizon powered MVNO has even set up a big splash page on its website advertising the device and its feature set. The phone is listing for $399.99.
An online customer support chat representative that I spoke to said the Samsung Galaxy A50 is being sold unlocked, however it must be activated and used with Selectel Wireless before it can be taken elsewhere.
Samsung Galaxy A50 Feature Set
The Samsung Galaxy A50 was designed to be a budget device. However, it does come with a few features that have typically been reserved for high-end devices such as an in-display fingerprint scanner. Other features include the following:
- 6.4" 2340p x 1080p Super AMOLED edge-to-edge Infinity-U display
- Exynos 9610 Octa-Core Processor with speeds up to 2.3GHz
- 64GB internal storage expandable with a microSD card
- 4GB RAM
- 4000 mAh battery with USB type C 15w fast charging
- 25MP selfie camera
- Triple lens rear camera featuring a 25MP f/1.7 main lens, 8MP f/2.2 123° ultra-wide angle lens, and a 5MP f/2.2 lens for depth
- Android 9.0 Pie
- Advertised support for the following LTE network bands
2,3,4,5,7,13,20,28,66 - Support for 2G GSM bands
850, 900, 1800, 1900 - Support for 3G UMTS bands
850, 900, 1900, 2100
Is It A Good Deal?
Unfortunately, Selectel Wireless has priced this device too high out of the gate. Verizon Wireless postpaid is currently offering the Samsung Galaxy A50 for $349.99 if purchased outright. It's also available for $10/month via 24 monthly payments. Of course, Verizon Wireless postpaid plans start at $55/month for a single line plan with 2GB of LTE data and are much more expensive than offerings from Selectel Wireless. Verizon does sell the phone unlocked, but you'll still likely have to pay for at least one month of service before you can take it elsewhere.
Sprint is also offering the phone for the same "buy it now" price as Verizon. It's available on an 18-month lease for $10.00/month. However, Sprint's $25/month unlimited kickstart plan is only available with the phone purchase if you buy it outright without a lease.
An international model of the phone is available on Amazon without a warranty for $267.90. The international model is not compatible with Verizon, Sprint or Selectel.
So whether or not this new phone offer from Selectel is really a good deal for you or not, might depend on what you want it for and where you want to use it. Selectel Wireless advertised phone plans start at $25/month for unlimited talk and text with 100MB of 4G LTE data. For $30/month the data allotment increases to 2GB of LTE data and also comes with unlimited 2G data access.