Sprint (NYSE:S) will launch its first LTE smartphone running Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows Phone 8 July 19. The HTC 8XT smartphone will cost $99.99 with a two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate.
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HTC 8XT |
Sprint has been a laggard in supporting Windows Phone compared to Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ), AT&T Mobility (NYSE:T) and T-Mobile US (NYSE:TMUS). The company first announced its plans to launch the HTC 8XT and Samsung Electronics' Ativ S Neo, also a Windows Phone 8 smartphone, late last month, but Sprint didn't provide specifics such as the launch dates.
The 8XT sports a 4.3-inch display, 1.4GHz dual-core Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM, 8 GB memory, microSD memory card slot with support for up to 64GB memory cards and 1,800 mAh battery. The gadget also will use HTC's "BoomSound" audio technology and will have dual front-facing stereo speakers with a dedicated amplifier as well as support for Beats Audio. Further, the HTC device will have an 8-megapixel main camera with autofocus and LED flash and a front-facing 1.6-megapixel camera. The main camera will support multishot burst mode to help capture the best picture of a moving photo subject.
Interestingly, regional operator U.S. Cellular also announced it would begin selling its first LTE Windows Phone 8 device. U.S. Cellular said the Samsung Ativ Odyssey will be available online today and in stores July 11 for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.
For more:
- See this spec sheet
- See this U.S. Cellular release
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