It's time for another Ting device update, and this time the Sprint MVNO has promised that it's got some major handsets headed its way soon. Ting recently announced on its official blog that it plans to offer the Samsung Galaxy S IV, and the good news for its customers is that it intends to do so "at or around the same time as the major carriers." There's no exact launch date set quite yet, which isn't a surprise since Samsung hasn't even announced the phone, but Ting expects that it'll open pre-orders for the S IV in six to eight weeks and begin shipping devices out a few weeks later.
In addition to the Galaxy S IV, Ting says that it'll soon be home to the Galaxy S III mini. This shrunken down version of the Galaxy S III was originally announced in October 2012, but since then there's been no word on when or if it might make its way to the U.S. It looks like Ting plans to be the one to bring it over here, though, with a launch expected to happen around the same time as the Galaxy S IV's release.
Another big device that's coming soon to Ting is the HTC One. We already knew that the One is headed for Sprint, but it's good to hear that this particular MVNO of the Now Network will be getting HTC's new flagship phone as well. As with the Galaxy S IV, there's no word yet on when the HTC One will hit U.S. shelves. However, Ting expects pre-orders to kick off in around 30 days, with orders going out to buyers a few weeks later.
Finally, Ting dropped a few more details on its plans for the future. The Sprint MVNO says that Windows Phone 8 devices "are definitely coming" and that it'll share more information when it gets it. On the LTE front, Ting expects to have an LTE data device up for pre-order in around six weeks, and it says it's got some good news regarding LTE hardware and its "Bring Your Own Sprint Device" program soon. There's also a small iPhone-sized hole in Ting's lineup, but the prepaid operator says that it's still working on that matter and will share more details when it can.
Overall this is some pretty exciting news for Ting and its customers. Usually we don't see prepaid carriers and MVNOs launch hot new smartphones until some time after the major operators, but it appears that Ting will be changing that by offering what could end up as the two biggest Android smartphones of the year right around the same time as the big U.S. carriers. Of course, Ting customers won't have the option of paying a subsidy for these new devices like they will at the major carriers, as Ting sells its phones free of contracts and subsidies. Would an MVNO like Ting be more attractive to you if it continued to offer high-end smartphones around the same time as the big U.S. carriers?
Via Ting blog
