With the explosion of smartphones, both top-of-the-line and budget models, dumb phones, supposedly the old, old generations of phones that only has a call and text function, seem to have lost much, if not all of its appeal, except for price.

But the MWC Congress 2013 introduced phones that have smartphone quality and capacity, but are sold at basically the price of your regular, now-paperweight dumb phone.

According to PhonesArena, Chinese company Fndroid has collaborated with Eink to come up with a 3G smartphone that's just as cheap as your dumb phone.

The basic functions and features that you're looking for in a smart phone will be there: long-lasting battery (reportedly even better than your leading smart phones in the market) and better visibility of the screen text even under sunlight.

The catch? It's an E-ink phone. Of course, for those who want to experience the full offerings of a regular smartphone may not enjoy this as much, considering how E-ink phones have a limited user interface.

This means videos are not supported, and you are limited to text-based apps, including ebook readers, emails, and a dialer, reports TechCrunch.

Fndroid's prototype even features 1.5 GHz processor, a 3G chip, and even EDGE connectivity.

At the MWC Congress, Fndroid featured two prototypes, a black and a white model, which have been reportedly lightweight and feature a backlight for reading in dimmer places.

Admittedly, the E-ink smartphone chooses a particular niche in the market, but BeforeItsNews reports that Fndroid has already been talking to telecommunication companies for a possible launch this year.

Considering specific target markets who prefer low cost to feature-loaded phones, as well as those who are just making a transition from feature phones to smartphones, this can be a great next step, without stepping over one's budget.