[joecool1029]

Getting cheaper but those radios are still comparatively power hungry, costs of certification are high, and it's really up to the carrier if they want to allow it on their voLTE network. 3G/2G featurephones do exist.

Try buying an international phone with the correct band support and put it onto a US network, it'll kick down to 3G or 2G to make the call. No point really in having the extra data speeds a featurephone won't need (for most people). I personally would like to have a small, durable, and low powered featurephone I could also use as a usb modem.