Sprint's brand of ultra-fast LTE will launch with four smartphones, but the carrier says two more are on the way. by Lynn La October 30, 2013 2:17 PM PDT How mysterious--Sprint keeps two Spark compatible phones, literally, under wraps. (Credit: Lynn La/CNET) Earlier today, Sprint announced the first four smartphones (the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy Mega, HTC One Max, and LG G2) that will be compatible with the carrier's new ultra-fast LTE service called "Spark". Related stories Sprint unveils Spark, its ultra-fast 1Gb wireless service Sprint CEO: We can partner with companies to use their spectrum Sprint swings to profit of $383M but loses customers But during a press event in Burlingame, Calif., Sprint displayed two more devices that will join the Spark lineup in time for the holidays. Unfortunately, the handsets' names were not given, and they were kept under glass with cloth covered over them. Sprint representatives did drop some hints, however. One of the phones will be unveiled "in the coming days," and will house a number of "firsts." That sounds a lot like the highly-anticipated Nexus 5, which only has one day left to launch in order to hit its rumored "end of October" reveal date. Support for all four major U.S. carriers, including Sprint, are also expected with the Nexus. The second handset will be a "refresh" of a device that's already been released. Sprint said it is a "high volume" seller and one of the most popular phones on its network. Though we know that could mean a number of candidates (is it the Samsung Galaxy S4, or maybe the iPhone 5s?) it is confirmed that this handset will be Spark-enabled by mid-December. Sprint projects that Spark will work its way up to a network speed of 1Gbps, but first it will clock in at 50 to 60mbps. It is available today in four cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Tampa and Miami, Fla. For more about Spark, read our earlier report here.
Sprint's brand of ultra-fast LTE will launch with four smartphones, but the carrier says two more are on the way.
How mysterious--Sprint keeps two Spark compatible phones, literally, under wraps.
(Credit: Lynn La/CNET)
Earlier today, Sprint announced the first four smartphones (the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy Mega, HTC One Max, and LG G2) that will be compatible with the carrier's new ultra-fast LTE service called "Spark".
Related stories
- Sprint unveils Spark, its ultra-fast 1Gb wireless service
- Sprint CEO: We can partner with companies to use their spectrum
- Sprint swings to profit of $383M but loses customers
But during a press event in Burlingame, Calif., Sprint displayed two more devices that will join the Spark lineup in time for the holidays. Unfortunately, the handsets' names were not given, and they were kept under glass with cloth covered over them.
Sprint representatives did drop some hints, however. One of the phones will be unveiled "in the coming days," and will house a number of "firsts." That sounds a lot like the highly-anticipated Nexus 5, which only has one day left to launch in order to hit its rumored "end of October" reveal date. Support for all four major U.S. carriers, including Sprint, are also expected with the Nexus.
The second handset will be a "refresh" of a device that's already been released. Sprint said it is a "high volume" seller and one of the most popular phones on its network. Though we know that could mean a number of candidates (is it the Samsung Galaxy S4, or maybe the iPhone 5s?) it is confirmed that this handset will be Spark-enabled by mid-December.
Sprint projects that Spark will work its way up to a network speed of 1Gbps, but first it will clock in at 50 to 60mbps. It is available today in four cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Tampa and Miami, Fla. For more about Spark, read our earlier report here.
