Verizon Launches Yahoo Mobile With 4G Phone, Service

Yahoo plowed into the smartphone market Thursday with an entry-level $49 handset that operates on parent company Verizon’s sub-brand 4G Yahoo Mobile wireless network. Later this year, Verizon’s 5G network will be included with all Yahoo Mobile plans and devices, it said. Consumers can buy Yahoo Mobile service with the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro through the online store now, and with the iPhone Pro Max and 12 Mini, due next month. The purple Yahoo Mobile ZTE Blade A3Y, stuffed with Yahoo apps, is paired with a $40 monthly unlimited talk, text and data plan, ad-free email account and 24/7 customer service, with no annual service contract. Through Yahoo Sports, users have access to live sports and a “Watch Together” feature that allows livestreaming of free NFL games with friends. The Android phone, with a 5.4-inch 720p display, has an 8-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, 2 GB RAM, a rear fingerprint sensor, face-unlock and a 2660 mAh battery. Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan called the phone a “unique and valuable offering” with Yahoo’s “unified suite of products, trusted content, commerce and the reliability” of Verizon’s network.