The logo of Sharp Corp is seen reflected on Apple Inc's MacBook Pro at an electronics store in Tokyo
The logo of Sharp Corp is seen reflected on Apple Inc's MacBook Pro at an electronics store in Tokyo in this January 15, 2013 file photo. Apple Inc suppliers will begin mass producing displays as early as May 2014 for the next iPhone, expected to be launched this autumn, with a 4.7-inch screen likely to be produced first while a 5.5-inch version could be delayed, supply chain sources said. Japan Display Inc, Sharp Corp and South Korea's LG Display Co Ltd have all been tapped to make the screens, said the sources, who asked not to be identified. Reuters

In August, Sharp Aquos Crystal smartphone was released in Japan. Following the release, the U.S. carrier Sprint was supposed to release the handset within the next few weeks. Due to unprecedented delays, the release of the device was postponed to a later time. However now, the mid-range Sharp Aquos Crystal smartphone is available for purchase in the U.S. soil.

Interested readers can buy the Sharp handset from Boost Mobile for without a contract. Sprint, on the other hand, is offering the device through its Easy Pay program with no initial down payment followed by 24 months payment of The device can also be purchased from the same carrier for without a contract from Oct. 21, according to GSM Arena. In any case, it is not surprising that the Japanese device is being sold in the U.S. by Sprint, because the company was acquired by Japan's SoftBank.

When it comes to specifications, the Sharp Aquos Crystal smartphone features a 5-inch "almost bezel-free" display with 720 x 1,280 pixels resolution. The handset is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, clocked at 1.2 GHz and backed by a good 1.5 GB of RAM. The phone runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS. As far as the memory goes, the device offers 8 GB of storage with microSD card support for expansion up to 128 GB.

Speaking of camera, the Aquos Crystal sports an 8 MP rear-facing unit with LED flash in addition to a 1.2 MP shooter at the front. Other significant features include a solid 2040 mAh battery unit that can give up to 13 hours of talk-time and a sound system by Harmon Kardon, utilising both Clari-Fi and LiveStage technology. Coming to size, the handset is 0.39-inch thick and weighs 141 g.

Moreover, the device supports 2G/3G/4G LTE, Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi and microUSB port. However, the phone does not support NFC. Potential buyers should checkout Boost Mobile and Sprint via Best Buy to place an order. Plus, readers can also check out the killer, nearly bezel-free images of the Sharp Aquos Crystal smartphone from Best Buy. Lastly, there is no information available to ascertain the handset's availability beyond the U.S. and Japan markets at this point.

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