Another smartphone is being added to T-Mobile’s lineup soon. The self-branded T-Mobile Prism is an Android smartphone with plenty of features for the average mobile user, yet almost anyone will be able to afford it.
The Prism ships with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which has become the de facto operating system for low to mid-range smartphones leaving Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for the most power-hungry of the pack. This 3G smartphone has a 3.5-inch 480×320 (HVGA) touchscreen display, a 3.2MP camera on the back, and full access to the world of apps available in Google Play. It’s missing perks like compatibility with T-Mobile’s 4G network and a front-facing camera, but those features aren’t really expected for this type of device given the target market. Think of the Prism as T-Mobile’s answer to the iPhone 3GS.
Perhaps the best feature of the Prism is the pricing The monthly plans are very flexible in that you can choose whether you want a contract. If you choose to go contract-free, you’ll have to pay for a T-Mobile Monthly 4G plan (without 4G service) and the price of the hardware itself is $149.99. If you choose to sign a two-year contract, you can pay less per month by selecting from either a T-Mobile Classic or Value and the hardware price drops to only $19.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate ($69.99 up front.)
The Prism goes on sale in various stores on various dates. The first launch is at Best Buy on May 6th. That’s followed by availability in Walmart on May 9th and lastly all T-Mobile stores nationwide and online starting on May 23rd.