With MWC just around the corner, the race is on as to who can deliver strong contenders for Sony’s Xperia Z and HTC One the fastest. We’re also dying to see if there are any new affordable 7-inch tabs coming to Barcelona. Or maybe even that mythical 10-inch “iPad killer”.

But, with the show still not on the road yet, we have to quench our thirst for new gadgets with something much more down to earth – the Sprint Force. It sounds pretty kewl, we know, but it’s not.

Based on a leaked Sprint product page, the 4-incher is due out on March 1 with mediocre specs. There’s a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, which is nice we guess, but only Android 4.0 ICS. Scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass on the display, but most likely WVGA resolution (800 x 480 pixels).

4G LTE speeds, but a measly 1,730 mAh battery. And finally 1 GB of RAM, a 5 MP rear-facing snapper, a 1 MP front-facing cam and 4 GB of internal memory. Chances are the fellow will be branded as the Sprint Force, but we have to give credit where credit is due and say ZTE is responsible for its manufacturing.

And while the handheld is not yet official, this is the second time we’re hearing about it, so we’re certain it’s real. The first was back in December 2012, when the Force was supposedly heading to Boost, one of Sprint’s subsidiaries.

Unfortunately, we’ve saved the worst for last. According to today’s leak, Sprint will sell the Force for $49.99 with 2-year contracts. After $50 mail-in rebates. Which is a terrible deal, to be frank. You can currently get the Flash for no charge after a similar rebate. And that fellow packs a punch – dual-core Krait CPU, 4.5-inch 720p display, 8 GB of storage, 12.6 MP camera. What is Sprint thinking?