Mobile carrier Sprint announced the Sprint Force on Friday, March 1, following a leak made in late February about the entry-level Android-powered phone made by ZTE that is said to be an "affordable LTE handset for first-time smartphone users."
The Sprint Force includes 4G LTE, but also Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in lieu of newer Android 4.2 Jelly Bean (and Sprint just couldn't wait for the forthcoming 5.0 Key Lime Pie, could it?).
The original leak, as reported by Engadget on Feb. 21, suggested the phone would be out on March 1, and now here were are.
Specs and features of the Sprint Force, as initially hinted by the Engadget leak and now confirmed in toto by CNET, are as follows:
- The phone will run on Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0
- Powered by an 1.5GHz dual-core processor
- 4-inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
- Relatively compact build (4.88 by 2.54 by 0.47 inches; 5.4 ounces)
- Wi-Fi built-in
- A 5-megapixel main camera with an LED flash
- A 1-megapixel front shooter
- A 3G/4G LTE mobile hotspot
- NFC
- GPS with turn-by-turn directions
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Voice dialing and commands
- Corporate e-mail support with Microsoft Direct Push Technology and ActiveSync
- 1GB RAM
- MicroSD card slot
- Support for 4G LTE network, Sprint ID, and Sprint TV and Music
CNET notes that though the somewhat lackluster features of the Sprint Force don't exactly make it a high-end device, it's still a step forward for ZTE with "nice" LTE support, despite lack of Jelly Bean (which has been out for almost a year now).
Sprint's apps have also not done much to blow off CNET's socks, both in the past and now.
Ultimately, the Sprint Force is indeed a cheaper phone for someone just getting started in the realm of the smart device. All the rest of us can hold on to our Lumia 920 and Galaxy S3, until the Galaxy S4 is released later this month.
For those still interested, the Sprint Force is now available and will run you $49.99 with a two-year service agreement, after a $50 mail-in rebate.
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