Cheap smartphones headed our way

When it comes to smartphones we automatically think of the iPhone and the rising tide of Android based phones that all come with some pretty hefty price tags, depending of course on your carrier contract. For the most part the under-$100 phone market has been left to feature phones but if T-Mobile and LG have their way this could change very soon.

Today GigaOM is reporting that T-Mobile will be selling the LG Optimus T handset which will be sporting the latest version of Android for the price of $30.

The phone is all-plastic, uses a low-resolution display, has a slower processor and omits a few functions. But for folks craving a smartphone experience without wanting to invest much up-front cash, the Optimus T includes some advanced features and provides a reasonably good experience for its price.

While I’m not sure that I would be willing to sacrifice the quality of the more expensive handsets just to be able to use a modern smartphone I am sure that this could prove to be a really profitable area. It could also signal the end of the older feature phones.