Cricket's Android 4.1 Samsung Admire 2 (hands-on)
At a CTIA press conference, Cricket Wireless unveiled that it will be offer the mid-tier Samsung Admire 2 in time for the summer.
LAS VEGAS--Cricket Wireless has big plans for this year. In addition to announcing that it will be offering the Galaxy S4 in June, and its new "Half is More" ad campaign, the prepaid carrier also reported that it will sell the Samsung Admire 2.
Though no specific availability date and pricing information was given, the Admire 2 is scheduled to come out this summer. Its predecessor, which was originally offered on MetroPCS, launched with an initial price point of $129.
Design
During the press conference, Cricket did not release any specs. But what I could gather from handling it is that the Admire 2 looks very similar to other members of the Samsung Galaxy family.
It looks to have about a 4-inch screen, and its encasing is made out of glossy smooth grey plastic. Its battery door has a brushed chrome look that's sleek, and overall, it's one of the better looking mid-range handsets compared to Cricket's current lineup.
Below the display are hotkeys for menu and back, while the physical home button in the middle is long and flush with the rest of the handset's surface.
On the back is a camera with LED flash and below that are two slits for the audio speaker. You can take off the back plate to access the removable battery. The left edge houses a volume rocker and a microSD card slot for expandable memory.
Features
So far, very little information has been released about the Admire 2. During my brief time with it, I learned that it runs on Android 4.1.2 Jeally Bean, and has Samsung's TouchWiz interface layered on top.
In addition to a front-facing camera, it has a 5-megapixel camera in the rear that's capable of shooting 720p video. It will run on Cricket's 4G LTE network and will include the carrier's music subscription service, Muve Music Lastly, it's battery includes NFC.
Though processor specs remain unknown, the Admire 2 operated fast and smooth while I was swiping through the home screen pages, opening a few apps, and taking photos. If it's anything like the more recent Galaxy Admire 4G, the Admire 2 could be packing at least a 1GHz CPU, if not higher.
Outlook
Cricket is making a deliberate push to bring in more higher-end mid-tier devices to its prepaid customers. The Admire 2 fits perfectly well with such ambitions, as it brings just enough goods without (presumably), breaking the bank. Obviously its appeal will depend heavily on the final pricing, but if the handset were to stay around the $129~$150 range, it'd be an excellent option for Cricket users.
Check back with CNET for all the news unfolding from this week's CTIA 2013 show.