Tech for Less: AT&T’s Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate offers yesterday’s premium spec for $50

AT&T has announced that the Samsung Galaxy Exhilarate will be out on June 10 for $50 with a contract. If the Exhilarate doesn’t ring a bell, we understand. It doesn’t really pack a memorable spec. Or at least not in 2012. Especially not with all the hype generated by Samsung’s own Galaxy S III these days. But if you’re fine with a smartphone that rocks a spec that you’d consider top-end back in 2010, you’re going to want to check this out.

The Galaxy Exhilarate is highlighted by a 4-inch Super AMOLED display and support for AT&T’s 4G LTE network (which wasn’t available back in 2010). It runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, and features a 5-megapixel (720p) rear camera and a 1.3MP front-facing camera. The OS is where it feels old though. It ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which seems like a step back compared to all the new Android 4.0 devices you can pick up today.

The best part is that it won’t cost you much. The Galaxy Exhilarate is set to cost $50 on a 2-year contract – a price point that should make the old OS easier to swallow. The phone is also highlighted by the fact that it’s made from 80 percent recycled materials – enough to earn it UL Platinum certification. You can consider that a bonus if it’s something you care about when looking at consumer tech.