ZTE has announced its first 4G LTE capable Android smartphone for the US, the Anthem 4G, which will be sold on MetroPCS for “$219 plus tax after mail-in-rebate.” Unfortunately and oddly enough, the Anthem 4G runs the now dated Android 2.3 Gingerbread, despite all of their newer devices coming with Android 4.0 (like the $200 Warp Sequent).

Here are the official specs of the Anthem 4G:

  • 4.3″ WVGA display
  • 1.2GHz dual-core processor
  • 512MB RAM
  • 4GB internal storage, microSD support
  • 5MP rear camera with 1080p video recording, VGA front camera
  • Wi-Fi, BT 3.0, HDMI, Dolby Surround Audio
  • Android 2.3 Gingerbread

One can only hope that the Android 4.0 update comes sometime in the future, because the ZTE Anthem 4G seems quite a capable device otherwise. Expect it to be available in the coming weeks.