It looks like Republic Wireless is going for the Motorola hat trick: in addition to last year's flagship Moto X and mid-range Moto G, the American hybrid MVNO is now planning on selling the low-end Moto E to its customers. According to this post on the official Republic blog, the carrier's customized version of the Moto E will go on sale next month for $99, $30 cheaper than the retail GSM model.

For those of you who haven't looked in a while, the Moto E uses a low-power Snapdragon 200 processor (dual-core, 1.2Ghz), a single gigabyte of RAM, 4GB of storage plus a MicroSD card slot, a 5MP rear camera, and a 4.3-inch 960x540 LCD screen. At $130 it's a pretty good deal, but at a hundred bucks it's a steal... although those looking for a cheap all-purpose phone should probably look again. Republic Wireless uses a unique hybrid Wi-Fi service model, using Wi-Fi data for VOIP calls whenever possible and reverting to a Sprint MVNO everywhere else. That means that Republic phones won't work on other carriers, and the latest changes to its roaming policies make Republic a poor choice for anyone who travels frequently and doesn't have constant Wi-Fi access.

Still, for a hundred bucks and as little as $5 a month, you can get a separate line for your home on a decent little machine, and $25 a month gets you a Sprint phone with unlimited minutes and data over 3G. (The Moto E doesn't have an LTE radio, so the $40 plan isn't an option.) I'm sure there are plenty of frugal smartphone buyers who'll be counting down the days until October.

Source: Republic Wireless