The recently announced Sanyo Zio and Samsung Transform are now available from Sprint. As announced, the Zio will set you back $99 with a two-year contract, a price that includes a $150 instant savings and a $100.00 mail-in rebate. The Sanyo Zio is a mid-range Android offering with a 3.5-inch WVGA screen, CDMA2000 1xEV-DO rev. A connectivity, a 3.2-megapixel camera and camcorder with auto-focus, Bluetooth v2.1+EDR, GPS, microSD expansion (includes 2GB microSD card, supports up to 32GB), Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, and Android 2.1.
The Samsung Transform is slighty above the Zio on the feature scale and will cost $149 with a two-year contract and after a $150 instant savings and a $100.00 mail-in rebate. Similar to the Zio, the Samsung Transform is another mid-level offering with a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen display, 800MHz processor, 256MB RAM, a 3 megapixel camera, EV-DO connectivity, Wi-Fi b/g, GPS, a front-facing camera, 1500 mAh battery, and Android 2.1.
The Zio and Transform fit nicely into Sprint’s Android lineup, sitting underneath the high-end Samsung Epic 4G and HTC EVO 4G. Customers coming from a feature phone will appreciate the ease-of-use and basic design of these smartphones. Not everyone wants a super-sized smartphone on steroids. The sub-$200 price tag also makes these handsets a practical choice for someone looking to jump into a smartphone with minimal upfront cost.
The Sanyo Zio and the Samsung Transform are the first two Android handsets to launch with Sprint ID, a new profile-based feature that lets customers easily customize their phone with predefined groups of ringtones, wallpapers, applications, and widgets. These ID packs contain tailor-made content for groups of users including business professionals, gamers, sports fans, and more. For those seeking a detailed look at Sprint ID, you can check out our hands-on review of this interesting new feature from Sprint.
[Via Sprint and Android Central]