January this year [2019] Verizon’s Visible virtual carrier announced its support for Android devices – coming out of its iOS exclusiveness. Now, the MVNO has launched a second self-branded phone, and they’ve called it the Visible R2, manufactured by ZTE. The smartphone, which to the market is a budget device, joins the minimal list of supported Android phones. The Visible R2 retails at $99 only.
Visible MVNO’s possible supported Android devices – future plans
During their announcement – just a week ago – Visible also confirmed that they will support the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus, but more Android devices will follow going forward. We also predict that the MVNO might offer exclusive support for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 line, but we cannot confirm it yet. Following the current trend started by Visible, you’ll eventually be allowed to bring your own Android phones to the network; although, Visible needs to sign a couple of agreements with OEMs.
Visible R2 features and specs
Considering the R2 starts at less than $100, it’s not going to be a major hit to bring about some fuzz. Visible R2 sports a 5.45-inch HD+LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It houses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425, 1.4GHz quad-core processor. The R2 is powered by a massive 3,100mAh of battery capacity and will support up to 24 hours of talk time, and internet browsing. The handset will ship with one free mobile hotspot connection – available through an app found on the home screen. Moreover, it packs a 16GB of internal storage (supports up to 2TB of built-in microSD slot); and will start with 2GB of RAM capacity.
Visible R2 will run Android Oreo and will come with the support of Visible service, and the backing of Verizon’s 4G LTE network. We were extremely amazed at the fact that the R2 sports a USB-C 2.0 port for charging and data transfer; pretty unusual for a budget phone.
On its rear, sits a single 13MP camera sensor and a fingerprint scanner, while its front camera houses a 5MP selfie camera with a flash. Its back surface has a seemingly rough texture, which gives off the same vibe experienced on the early OnePlus device.
Visible’s best mobile plans
Visible is a small MVNO, which relies entirely on Verizon’s network infrastructure to operate. The MVNO offers unlimited – one-size-fits-all – option that goes for $40 every month. The plan includes unlimited calls, texts, and one free hotspot on the Verizon network but with no throttling whatsoever. Nevertheless, speeds are limited to 5Mbps, while the quality of video streaming lowered to 480p. What’s more, Visible also retails a variety of Apple and Samsung phones, most of which are rather expensive.
Wrap up
ZTE faced its rough share of business in 2018 when the US Department of Commerce decided to suspend exports of the company’s products. The decision removed ZTE from its US-based list of suppliers – ZTE almost shut down. They were left with no option but to pay a huge fine, and have since signed some deals that have helped them get back to their feet. Certainly, entering a partnership with Visible will see ZTE get back to its thriving ways.
