Author: Ron Amadeo

We traded the thing on the left for the thing on the right. And yes the display really looks that bad in real life.

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The other day we were rather shocked to hear that Walmart was selling a pre-paid smartphone for ten whole dollars. When we saw the device was running Android, we just had to see what it was like. So we walked into our local store, plunked an entire $10 bill down on the table, and walked out with a rough facsimile of a smartphone. Meet the LG Sunrise.

This is not our first trip into the masochistic world of ultra-cheap smartphones. We previously reviewed the Intex Cloud FX, a $35 smartphone that ran Firefox OS. The Cloud FX had a ton of problems, but for us the most limiting thing was FireFox OS. It couldn't run any benchmarks or our battery tests, making the device a $35 slab of uselessness that could occasionally render a webpage without crashing. The Sunrise is packing something much more familiar though: Android. It's only running Android 4.4 KitKat, but that's a lot better than Mozilla's app-less browser OS.

We should mention that while we walked into a Walmart and spent only $10 on this device, it was on sale. Various carrier models have the MSRP of the Sunrise listed for $40-$60. We should also mention that this $10 deal is for a locked prepaid phone. If you want to have cell service on this device, it has to be with TracFone unless you want to unlock it somehow. You could also just never get service and have a $10 Wi-Fi device.

Enlarge (credit: Ron Amadeo)

Not content with being the world's biggest video platform, YouTube now wants to be Netflix. A report from the Wall Street Journal says that YouTube is looking to bolster its new premium service, YouTube Red, with TV shows and movies.

YouTube Red launched a few weeks ago and offers ad-free YouTube, offline playback, and background music video playback for $9.99 per month. YouTube is developing exclusive original series for the service with some of its homegrown stars like "PewDiePie," but now it apparently wants to add professional TV shows and movies to the mix, putting it in competition with Netflix.

Of course, all of this hinges on actually securing deals with content studios, which have historically been wary of Google's online dominance. But spending lots and lots of cash may help get deals done. According to the report, Netflix is expected to spend $3.3 billion this year, and Hulu and Amazon are spending $1.5 billion.

The Galaxy S 1 through 6. (not to scale)

Samsung's mobile division is getting a new leader, as long-time division head JK Shin will be replaced by Koh Dong Jin.

Under Shin, the mobile division adopted Android and gained a dominating position in the mobile market, which culminated in five straight quarters of record profits ending in 2013. The ride ended in 2014, though, when the company saw huge drops in profits due to its inability to compete with low-cost Chinese vendors like Xiaomi and Huawei. Shin is also blamed for not producing enough handsets to meet demand for the curved-screen Galaxy S6 Edge, which proved more popular with consumers than Samsung expected.

As for the new guy, Koh Dong Jin, no one seems quite sure what direction the new mobile leader will pull the company in. One analyst tells Bloomberg that "the new leader will try to boost software power and foster new innovations." while another analyst tells Reuters, "There is no real change and Samsung appears to be continuing on the hardware-centric path."

The Nexus 5X.

It's Cyber Monday, which means there are a ton of deals out there if you're willing to hunt around. If you know someone who needs to upgrade his or her smartphone, one of our favorites, the Nexus 5X, is on sale at the Google Store for $80 off. That makes it a nice, even $299.

Thanks to stock Android, a fantastic camera, a great price, and quick updates directly from Google, the new Nexus devices are the best Android phones you can buy. They're also the most secure, due to Google's monthly security update program. The device is compatible with Google's Project Fi Internet service, which may or may not be cheaper than your usual cell service, depending on your usage pattern. $80 off makes the already great price irresistible.

The Google Store is also shipping any two Chromecasts for $50, which works out to a $20 savings. You can mix and match the audio and video Chromecasts in whatever combination you want.