Sprint and Virgin Mobile to Launch LG Optimus Black Later This Year

Recent FCC filings indicate that both Sprint and Virgin Mobile are preparing to launch the LG Optimus Black as another high-end Android smartphone offering later this year, as the model codes LS855 and VM855 have been listed in the regulator’s database. The phone is also set to be launched by USCellular and Alltel, as the US855 and AS855 respectively, though no further details are known regarding those versions at this time.

In addition, a waiver request filed by Sprint also indicates that the phone will support CDMA on the 800MHz band currently used by Nextel service, making it yet another phone that will support Sprint Direct Connect service when it launches at the end of the year, though it’s currently unclear if the Virgin Mobile version will also include support for the service and expanded coverage area.

The Optimus Black as launched in Europe earlier this year features a 4-inch 480×800 NOVA display, single-core 1GHz processor, 5.0 megapixel camera with LED flash, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, 512MB RAM, 1GB of built-in storage, and Android 2.2. The LG NOVA display features 700 nits of brightness, making it one of the brightest displays available on a smartphone.