Sprint HTC 8XT finally available for purchase, as Windows Phone returns to the carrier

News
By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Way back at the beginning of 2013, Sprint announced that they were returning to the Windows Phone fold with two new devices slated for release at a later time. Those devices, one from HTC and one from Samsung, were not revealed until months later, prolonging what has to be an endurance run for those on Sprint and who enjoy Microsoft.

Today, July 19th, the company has finally put on sale the HTC 8XT (previously known as the Tiara), an interesting new release from the OEM that seemingly combines the best aspects of the 8X, 8S (bottom half) and One, into a fairly solid looking mid-range Windows Phone.

The device features a 4.3” 720P WVGA display (480x800), 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, microSD expansion and an 8MP rear camera, which should satisfy most casual users. The biggest selling point is the focus on audio though, as the 8XT features “built-in amp, Beats Audio™ and HTC BoomSound™” with the latter meaning it sports to front-facing speakers.

That phone can now be purchased presumably by walking into a Sprint store or ordering online via this link. The phone’s final cost is $99 but that’s only after a $50 mail-in-rebate. Off-contract, the phone goes for a reasonable $399.

So who in our audience is running down to get one? Sound off in comments and let us know your experience.

Thanks, EAA575, for the tip

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.