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Moto G for Verizon lands at Best Buy for $100 with no contract

After photos of retail packaging and documentation were leaked online, the retailer confirms it will sell Motorola's budget smartphone for an exceptionally low price within a couple of weeks.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr
2 min read
Motorola's Moto G. Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Motorola's Moto G has already debuted on its own Web site and on Amazon, but it has yet to make an appearance with wireless carriers and at retail stores. However, that's about to change.

Best Buy has confirmed it will be selling a Verizon version of the smartphone for as low as $99.99 and it could be arriving within the next few days, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The news first came on Monday when a Google+ user named Josue Joseph, who says he works at Best Buy Mobile, posted a photo of the Moto G in Verizon packaging to his account. He commented that it "looks like it's going for $100."

A short time later, Droid Life published a photo of a Best Buy document that said the "hard street date" for the Verizon Moto G was January 9. Then, the Los Angeles Times confirmed with Best Buy on Tuesday that the retailer will be selling the device with no contract for $99.99.

"The phone is currently landing in stores and is available for sale as soon as it arrives," Best Buy spokesman Jonathan Sandler told the Times.

The budget handset comes with the Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system and currently has a starting price of $179 on Amazon and Motorola's Web site.

The smartphone is being marketed as a less expensive version of Motorola's Moto X. The Moto X, which launched only in the US earlier this year, stands out to customers because they can tweak how the device looks with different colors and accents.

Verizon confirmed last month that it was planning to sell the device sometime in early 2014, but the wireless carrier had not yet provided details on the exact launch date and price.

CNET contacted Motorola and Verizon for comment. We'll update the story when we get more information.