HTC 8XT Coming to Sprint on July 19th

Sprint has now confirmed that the HTC 8XT, the first device running the Windows Phone operating system to make its way to the carrier in years, will go on sale beginning Friday, July 19th.

The HTC 8XT will be available from the company’s website, or in stores, for $99.99 with a new two-year service agreement and a $50 mail-in rebate. Today’s post on the Sprint News blog didn’t detail how much the device will cost without a two-year service agreement. High-end smartphones usually sell for around $600-$700 contract-free.

The HTC 8XT joins the HTC 8X, which debuted on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon last year. Currently, it’s the only Windows Phone 8 device that is offered on more than one carrier. That stands in contrast to the many different Lumia Windows Phone variants that Nokia makes available on every carrier except for Sprint.

Unlike the HTC 8X, the HTX 8XT will feature just 8GB of onboard storage, though users will be able to add more storage through a microSD card slot that is not available on its older sibling. The device will be compatible with Sprint’s 4G LTE data network as well. The device uses a 1.4 GHZ dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM.

In addition to adding the microSD card slot, the HTC 8XT has two front-facing speakers powered by its Beats BoomSound technology. The technology first debuted in the HTC One flagship device earlier this year.

Cameras include a front-facing 1.5 megapixel camera for video chatting and taking self-portraits, and an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera for taking pictures of everything else.

Sprint also says that the device will feature a “crisp” 4.3 inch display, though it didn’t note what kind of screen technology the device will use, possibly confirming that it’s the same 4.3 inch high-definition screen that is found in the HTC 8X.

Though it’s likely Sprint will include some custom applications as part of the HTC 8XT’s experiences, it didn’t announce any in today’s blog post. While carriers and smartphone makers aren’t allowed to change Windows Phone, Sprint can create their own exclusive applications that ship installed on their devices. Recently, pictures of the device showcased a new Sprint Music application that will likely come installed. Sprint also didn’t announce if the device will be available in any other color other than ‘California Blue’.

Although the company announced the HTC 8XT along with the Samsung ATIV S Neo, the company has yet to detail exactly when the latter device will make its way to users.