Boost Mobile's first 4G phone: The HTC Evo Design 4G
The company, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sprint, follows another one of Sprint's brands, Virgin Mobile, with a WiMax-ready phone launch.
Boost Mobile is getting into the 4G mix with the launch of the HTC Evo Design 4G.
The smartphone, which will launch on May 31, comes with a 4-inch qHD, or 960x540-pixel resolution, touch screen and Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). In addition, the handset boasts a 1.2GHz processor, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera to complement its 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and Wi-Fi hot-spot functionality.
The big news of the day, however, is that the smartphone will become the first 4G-ready device to hit Boost Mobile's service by operating on Sprint's 4G (WiMax) network. According to Boost Mobile, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sprint, the Evo Design 4G will be able to connect to Sprint's WiMax in 71 markets and achieve average speeds of 3Mbps to 6Mbps.
Boost's announcement comes the same day Virgin Mobile announced its own first 4G-equipped device, the HTC Evo V 4G. That handset, like its Boost counterpart, will connect to Sprint's WiMax network.
The HTC Evo Design 4G will set customers back $299.99, when it launches at the end of the month. Customers that pick up the device can sign up for Boost's Monthly Unlimited plan with Shrinking Payments. That offering starts out at $55 per month, but for every six months of on-time payments, Boost reduces the fee by $5. It sets the floor price at $40 per month.
