ZTE had a pretty rough 2018 thanks to the US Commerce Department's decision to enforce a suspended export ban against the company. That cut ZTE off from its US-based suppliers, resulting in an almost total shutdown. ZTE agreed to additional corporate changes and paid a new fine to get back in business, but it hasn't launched any new phones on carriers in the US until now. It's first post-shutdown carrier phone isn't exactly a showstopper, but you can get a new ZTE device right now on the Visible.

Visible is a small carrier that operates on Verizon's network (it prefers to be called a "digital carrier" within Verizon), offering "unlimited" service for $40 per month. It offers various Apple and Samsung phones, all of which are rather spendy. The New ZTE Visible R2 is just $99. Here's a quick rundown of the features (questionable characterizations direct from Visible).

16 GB with a microSD slot for up to 2TB expandable storage (not included)

18:9 full view display in a sleek, fingerprint-resistant design

Includes free mobile hotspot connection with Visible service

5MP front camera with screen flash for perfect selfies

13MP rear camera with HDR, panorama, collage and timelapse flash

LCD IPS 5.45” display fits nicely in the palm of your hand

Smart power management to extend 3100mAh battery life

1.4 GHz Quad-Core Processor

USB-C 2.0 charger

We suspect this is a branded version of the ZTE A0722 from China. It's not a flagship phone by any means, but it's not a bad package for $99. There's even a Type-C port, which is still rare on cheap phones.