[ad#ad-1]The LG Viper is Sprint’s second 4G LTE handset. Yes you read that right, Sprint, Handset, 4G LTE. If you have your brows raised at that, then maybe I need to explain that, although Sprint does not currently have an active 4G LTE network, it is working on bringing this offering online in the second half of the 2012 calendar year.
So what does the LG Viper have to offer, besides the future hope of accessing the yet to be activated 4G LTE network from Sprint? Well at a price point of 79.99 (with a Sprint 2-yr contract, and a 50USD rebate) this could be the phone of choice for anyone wishing to ditch their current Sprint 4G offering for the LTE future.
More about the price point. Amazon’s promotion which essentially gives you the LG Viper for free and BestBuy’s offering for 19.99, both with a 2-yr contract, this phone is bound to factor into the decision making of anyone looking to upgrade to the new Sprint LTE network.
Hardware wise, this phone is pretty basic. With specs listed below:
- 4-inch WVGA touchscreen
- 1.2GHz dual-core processor
- 5-megapixel rear camera, VGA front-facing shooter
- 720p video capture
- 4GB ROM/512MB RAM
- NFC
- Sprint ID
- Google Wallet
- 3G/4G LTE connectivity
- 1,700mAh battery
- Android 2.3 Gingerbread
It’s quite easy to see that the LG Viper is on par with current offerings from most carriers.
A stand out feature for this phone is the inclusion of Google Wallet, and Sprint’s promotion of a 25USD credit to your device. For those looking to test out Google’s entry into the personal finance / electronic payment space, this will defiantly make the LG Viper a more attractive device.
Using the device in the New York Metro area, I had no occurrences of dropped calls. However, I would like to point out that although this phone is listed as a 4G LTE device, until Sprint activates its LTE network, this phone is essentially a 3G device. I had to remind myself of this on several occasions.
All in all, it is hard not to recommend this phone simply on its price point, and future proof feature of the 4G LTE. We are yet to see if Sprint can deliver on the promise of launching their LTE network in the latter half of 2012, but when it does, wouldn’t it be nice to be prepared?
