The Evo 4G LTE is a "superfast" smartphone that sets the "gold standard" in multimedia experience, said Dan Hesse, CEO of Sprint, during a launch event in New York City.

The Evo 4G LTE has Qualcomm's latest 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor. The phone has a 4.7-inch display and runs the latest Android 4.0 OS, code-named Ice Cream Sandwich.

The smartphone is priced at US$199.99 with a two-year contract with the carrier. It will become available in this quarter and Sprint will start taking pre-orders on May 7.

The new Evo has an 8-megapixel high-definition camera, which an HTC product designer said can take video and pictures simultaneously.

Sprint has announced that six cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio, will get 4G LTE by midyear. The 4G LTE network will be completed in the U.S. by the end of 2013, Hesse said. Sprint already has a 4G network built on WiMax mobile broadband technology.