The CTIA trade show in New Orleans witnessed the third-ranking US wireless carrier Sprint Nextel display the first two 4G WiMAX handsets for its prepaid Virgin and Boost brands.

Both the 4G WiMAX handsets - the EVO V 4G, also called the EVO 3D (for Virgin); and the EVO Design 4G (for Boost) - have been available on Sprint's main brand for quite some time; and, though the new prepaid Virgin and Boost versions will essentially retain almost the same hardware as Sprint's own versions.

However, the Virgin and Boost 4G WiMAX models, EVO 3D and Design 4G respectively, will reportedly run the latest Android 4.0 `Ice Cream Sandwich' version, even though Sprint's own models of the handset currently run Android 2.3, and are yet to receive the upgrade to the latest version of the Android operating system.

The EVO 3D on Virgin - to be priced at $299 without contract - will essentially be sold as a high-quality Android handset which will boast a 4.3-inch 960-by-540 display; a dual-core 1.2-GHz processor; and a massive 1730mAh battery.

Meanwhile, the EVO Design 4G on Boost - which will also cost $299 - will have a 4-inch qHD touchscreen; and a single-core 1.2-GHz processor. It will also be the first Boost handset to support Wi-Fi hotspot capability.

For consumers apprehensive about WiMAX handsets' service aspect, especially since Sprint's main brand is moving towards LTE, the carrier's communications director Michelle Mermelstein has assured that the company intends keeping the WiMAX going "at least" till the year 2015.