14 DAY TRIAL // As expected, Sprint has just announced it will add the Sharp Aquos Crystal bezel-free smartphone to its portfolio of handsets beginning this month.
Unfortunately, the carrier did not share any details regarding the phone’s exact release date, but at least we know from where can we get it and for how much.
Well, it looks like Sharp Aquos Crystal will be exclusively available in the United States through Sprint, Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile for only $150 (€112) outright.
In addition, Sprint also offers customers the option to grab the Sharp Aquos Cystal for $0 down (pus tax) and 24 monthly payments of $10 (€7.5), but service plan is required. It’s also worth mentioning that the smartphone will be available in both black and white color options.
“The combined power of SoftBank and Sprint will bring our customers this high-end device for an extraordinarily value. We are thrilled to welcome Sharp to the US wireless market. AQUOS Crystal will quickly become a must-have smartphone, showcasing Sharp’s strength in display technology,” said David Owens, senior vice president of Product Development for Sprint.
Sharp Aquos Crystal will ship with Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system out of the box and will feature support for Sprint Spark network. Moreover, the smartphone has been confirmed to pack Harman Kardon audio technology and HD Voice support.
The smartphone’s 5-inch edge-to-edge capacitive touchscreen display supports HD (720p) resolution. On the inside, Sharp Aquos Crystal is equipped with a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, an Adreno 305 graphics processing unit and 1.5GB of RAM.
Although the smartphone packs only 8GB of internal memory, users will be able to further expand storage up to 32GB via microSD card slot.
On the back, the mid-range Android handset features an impressive 8-megapixel photo snapper with autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording, while in the front there’s a secondary 1.2-megapixel camera for video calls and selfies.
Other highlights of the Aquos Crystal include 2040 mAh battery, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS with A-GPS support, 3.5mm audio jack, microUSB 2.0 and FM Radio. According to Sprint, more details on the phone’s availability will be shared soon.
“U.S. consumers have long trusted the Sharp AQUOS brand to deliver exceptional picture quality. We are thrilled to introduce the first smartphone from Sharp’s groundbreaking AQUOS line of devices to be available in the U.S., with the launch of the AQUOS Crystal Smartphone in the U.S. and Japan,” said Yoshisuke Hasegawa, executive managing officer of Sharp Corporation.
