Virgin Mobile has just launched its first waterproof smartphone. The pre-paid ZTE Reef ships with a 4-inch display, Android Jelly Bean, and more for $149.99.
Sony began a new trend in the smartphone world when it launched its Xperia Z. In an effort to standout from its Android rivals, Sony decided to make the Xperia Z water-resistant and the feature has turned out to be one of its strong selling points. Samsung soon followed with a water-resistant smartphone of its own with the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active available on AT&T. Both smartphones are also dust-resistant and are high-end devices with the price tags to match.
Virgin Mobile has now announced the ZTE Reef, its first waterproof smartphone. The pre-paid smartphone has entry-level specs that might not get a smartphone fan excited, but for $149.99 you do get an Android Jelly Bean and waterproof smartphone with no contract. The ZTE Reef is certified IPX7, which means that it can be water-resistant in up to 3 feet of water (about 1 meter) for up to 30 minutes. The smartphone comes pre-packed with Virgin Mobile ID Packs, which includes some exclusive apps, wallpapers, content and more. Swype fans will be happy to know that the handset also comes with Swype pre-installed, which allows you to text, surf, and write without ever having to lift your finger - just swipe across the virtual keyboard. It also includes Virgin Mobile Feed, which is a 24/7 streaming music, content, and news feed service.
The ZTE Reef features a 4-inch 800 x 480 resolution IPS (in plane switching) LCD display and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The smartphone is powered by a 1GHz processor and includes a microSD expansion slot that supports up to 32GB microSD cards. It also has a 5-megapixel rear camera that can record 720p video and a 1-megapixel front facing camera for video chat. Its wireless capabilities include a 3G radio, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooh 4.0. Its 1,650 mAh battery offers up to 9 hours of talk time and 6.8 days of standby time.
The ZTE Reef is available in stores and on Virgin Mobile's website for $149.99 contract-free.
