Sprint announced a new member of its eco-friendly family of devices – LG Optimus Elite, which supersedes pretty popular Optimus S model. This low-to-mid end smartphone is ULE Platinum Certified for sustainability, sporting an outer shell that is made of 50% recycled plastics. Moreover, it’s also an RoHS compliant device, meaning it is free of hazardous materials like PVC, phthalates, halogens and mercury. Finally, the packaging is also green with Sprint’s version sporting a fully recyclable, glue-free box, printed with soy inks and containing 87% post-consumer paper; Virgin Mobile’s variant, on the other hand, comes with the packaging that contains 30% post-consumer paper.
As for the specs, the Optimus Elite rocks a 3.5-inch screen, 800MHz processor, 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity with mobile hotspot, GPS, and NFC with Google Wallet support.
Sprint will begin taking orders for the new phone on May 18th in-store, with online orders starting on Earth Day, April 22. The price is $29.99 after rebate and with a new contract. Timing and pricing for the device on Virgin Mobile USA will be announced shortly…