Sprint Adds LG Lotus, Samsung Rant, Samsung Highnote

Not to be outdone in the QWERTY department, Sprint is going to add at least two new phones to its lineup that are squarely targeted at the text message fanatics in the audience. And they look pretty sweet to boot.

Starting from the left, we have the LG Lotus. This square clamshell may look like a squished flip phone, but when you flip this bad boy open, you reveal a nice widescreen display and a full QWERTY keyboard. People looking for the most compact QWERTY-packing handset on the market will be pleasantly pleased with the Lotus. Set to launch in purple and black, the LG Lotus will go for $149 with contract.

In the middle is the Samsung Rant. This is a candybar phone in much the same style as the LG Rumor. You get a regular numeric keypad, but the QWERTY keyboard can slide out of the left side for ease of mobile email and SMS. Other features include EVDO, Sprint TV, and GPS for $49.99 with contract.

If you don’t need QWERTY, Sprint will also be getting the Samsung Highnote music phone. It’s a dual slider like the Nokia N95, offering stereo speakers above the LCD display and a numeric keypad below the navigational controls. Available in red or blue, the contract price on the Highnote is $99.