ZTE





ZTE put its new Tempo Go smartphone up for sale on Thursday, making it the first phone with Google's Android Go configuration to be available for purchase in the US.

The phone is now available for $79.99 on ZTE's website. The listing was first spotted by Android Police.

Android Go is a special configuration of Android Oreo designed for lower-end mobile devices, particularly those with less than 1GB of RAM. It features a number of stripped-down UI elements and variants of traditional Google apps made to optimize memory usage.

As such, the Tempo Go's specs are incredibly dated. You're looking at a Snapdragon 210 chip—which uses four ancient A7 CPU cores—1GB of RAM, 8GB of built-in storage, a 2,200mAh battery, a 5-megapixel rear camera, a 2-megapixel front camera, and a 5-inch display with a low, 854x480 resolution display. There's no USB-C or 802.11ac Wi-Fi, unsurprisingly, but there is LTE support, a microSD slot, and, lo and behold, a headphone jack. The Tempo Go's specs page says the phone supports both GSM and CDMA bands, but a ZTE representative said it is only officially compatible with GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile.

That hardware means you probably shouldn't expect the zippiest device even with Android Go's optimizations, but we'll put the device through its paces before making any definitive statements on performance. At $80, it shouldn't be a major drain on the wallet regardless.

The Tempo Go is one of several phones that will use Android Go , but it's one of the few Android Go phones with its eyes on the US. While Chinese manufacturer TCL has said its Alcatel 1X phone will be available Stateside "in the coming months," most other Android Go devices are aimed at developing markets.

Listing image by ZTE