Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G LTE Passes US Customs Review: Release Date Revealed

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G LTE has passed customs and is aiming to get the phones in the hands of pre-orderers very soon. Continue after the bump for more details.

Sprint believes the HTC Evo 4G LTE will be in the hands of those who pre-ordered it as soon as this Thursday. After US Customs exercised their right to investigate a possible patent infringement with Apple, the HTC phones marketed as the HTC One X for AT&T and the HTC Evo 4G LTE for Sprint were held at the border. The specifics of the believed infringement related to the functionality of being able to click on a phone number in a browser window and have that action launch the number in the phone dialer. A function most Android users have been used to for some time.

While it only took a few days to settle the dispute, the delay has certainly helped rival phone manufacturer Samsung and the sales of their Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Sales figures also indicate that Nokia’s struggling Lumia 900 have benefited from the short term delay as well.

Upon the news of passing its Customs reviews, the Taiwanese phone manufacturer’s stock has increased by over 6% since Tuesday morning.

The Evo 4g LTE is looking to be Sprint’s flagship phone, at least until the Samsung Galaxy S III is released sometime in June. Sprint has struggled to maintain ground with AT&T and Verizon in spite of its bragging rights as the only mainstream carrier to offer truly unlimited data. Sprint is banking on these phones with its gradual roll out of 4G LTE coverage to save the company. Will it be enough? Only time will tell.