Sprint Adds $50 Force Smartphone to 4G LTE Lineup

Sprint today added a new Android phone to its 4G LTE lineup, the $50 Sprint Force.

The device, reportedly manufactured by ZTE, runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a 1.5-GHz dual-core processor, and features a 4-inch WVGA 480-by-800 touch-screen display.

The Force is also the newest Sprint ID smartphone, a feature that lets users easily customize their device via "packs" with different apps, ringtones, wallpapers, widgets, and more.

Other features include a 5-megapixel rear camera with auto-focus, LED flash, and video capture, plus a 1-megapixel front-facing cam for video chats, 3G/4G LTE mobile hotspot capability with support of up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices, and access to Google Play.

The Force enters Sprint's lineup a week after the carrier introduced its new, ultra-rugged Kyocera Torque smartphone, which boasts all-terrain capabilities, and Bear Grylls's approval; for more, see PCMag's hands on from MWC. And while Sprint's Force can't withstand extreme temperatures or a rain storm, it does offer Near Field Communication, Scout GPS turn-by-turn navigation, and voice actions for texting, calling, and emailing.

Weighing in at 5.4 ounces, with a 1,730 lithium-ion battery for up to nine hours of talk time, the device comes with 1GB of RAM and a microSD card slot for up to 32GB of added memory.

The Sprint Force is selling for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate for new customers and those who are upgrading.

Sprint helped the Android platform capture the No. 1 spot in the U.S. smartphone market recently, according to Kantar Worldpanel ComTech. Analyst Mary-Ann Parlato said Sprint's Android sales increased by more than 22 percent, from 49.3 percent to 71.9 percent, in the most recent quarter.