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The Sprint Force isn't meant to compete with more expensive and feature-rich phones from Apple, Samsung, or HTC, but it does strive to present at least the same basic experience. If suffers the most in the screen resolution and camera departments, but when you factor in the $50 to free cost of this phone, those are probably corners that most bargain-minded phone shoppers will be willing to cut.
We Liked
Obviously the most attractive feature here is the 4G LTE network, and while we didn't quite reach the Sprint-promised speeds, it was peppier than 3G.
LTE support coupled with minimal bloatware made us feel like Sprint really wanted this experience to be enjoyable for power users right out of the box, and it offers up a potent phone at a low cost. We were also impressed with the Sprint Zone software that makes dealing with your own account enjoyable instead of a chore.
We're thankful the Force has MicroSD, or its paltry 2GB of storage would be a problem. The removable battery is also a nice option.
We Disliked
While a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Plus MSM8960 1.5 GHz dual core processor powers the phone, it only runs Android's Ice Cream Sandwich, and at times there were responsiveness lags on the touchscreen and inside certain apps like Messaging. These were normally half a second long lags between touch and response, which was slightly discouraging.
In addition to the camera, we also didn't like the added Camera button, as it feels like a useless addition to the phone.
Final Verdict
Screen resolution and camera issues aside, people just entering the burgeoning smartphone market could do a lot worse than to consider the Sprint Force. It offers up everything from 4G LTE to WiFi to Bluetooth and even NFC connections at a fraction of the cost of other phones. While it won't dazzle your friends as the newest piece of tech, it could easily become a workhorse for you. Although the phone only includes roughly 2GB of storage, with the addition of a 64GB microSD card this could easily become a serviceable media device.
If you are considering this for the network, be sure to check out Sprint's announced 4G LTE rollout plans, which are in the process of being installed. Your mileage may vary, and you should check the web thoroughly for average 4G speeds in your area.
