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Yahoo's first branded phone is here. It's purple and only $50

The phone is available as part of Yahoo Mobile's unlimited phone service.

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Abrar Al-Heeti Video producer / CNET
Abrar Al-Heeti is a video host and producer for CNET, with an interest in internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. Before joining the video team, she was a writer for CNET's culture team. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET breaking down the latest trends on TikTok, Twitter and Instagram, while also reporting on diversity and inclusion initiatives in Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Credentials
  • Named a Tech Media Trailblazer by the Consumer Technology Association in 2019, a winner of SPJ NorCal's Excellence in Journalism Awards in 2022 and has twice been a finalist in the LA Press Club's National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards.
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Eli Blumenthal Senior Editor
Eli Blumenthal is a senior editor at CNET with a particular focus on covering the latest in the ever-changing worlds of telecom, streaming and sports. He previously worked as a technology reporter at USA Today.
Expertise 5G, mobile networks, wireless carriers, phones, tablets, streaming devices, streaming platforms, mobile and console gaming,
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Abrar Al-Heeti
Eli Blumenthal
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The Yahoo Mobile ZTE Blade A3Y runs on Verizon's network.

 Yahoo

Yahoo is venturing into uncharted territory by launching its first branded smartphone, the parent company Verizon announced on Wednesday. The Yahoo Mobile ZTE Blade A3Y is available on the  Verizon  network as part of Yahoo Mobile's unlimited phone service. Yahoo is owned by Verizon. 

The $50 purple phone comes with preinstalled apps including Yahoo Mail, News, Sports, Finance and Weather. It's equipped with an 8-megapixel rear camera with a dual flash and 5-megapixel front-facing camera with a flash. The phone runs on Android 10. It has a 5.45-inch 720p HD display, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and a rear fingerprint sensor as well the ability to unlock the phone with your face.

Read more: The best phone to buy for 2020

Yahoo Mobile launched in March with unlimited talk, text and 4G LTE data for $40 a month, with taxes and fees included. Customers who buy the Yahoo phone can take advantage of other perks on the Yahoo Mobile service plan including ad-free email with Yahoo Mail Pro and an unlimited mobile hotspot that can be used on one connected device at a time.

Over time the company may expand the perks it offers based on the Yahoo services that its customers want, Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan tells CNET. Someone who is a big Yahoo Finance user, he says, may have the option to get free access to its Yahoo Finance Premium offering, while a Yahoo Sports fan would get free betting credits or promotions for the company's sportsbook, assuming they are in a state where sports gambling is legalized. 

See also

"A lot of consumers love our products, and they want to go deeper in terms of our relationship with them," he says, adding that these types of promotions could appear in the next year or two. 

The new ZTE phone is available in the US now. Customers can also subscribe to Yahoo Mobile service with the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro while the iPhone 12 Pro Max and 12 Mini will be available in November. Verizon's 5G network will be included with all Yahoo Mobile plans and available on compatible devices later this year, the company said. 

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