Sprint is finally ready to join the Windows Phone 8 party, launching the HTC 8XT on July 19 with a $99.99 price tag.

The HTC 8XT will be the very first Windows Phone 8 (WP8) smartphone to join Sprint's network and the price tag is quite attractive. The handset will be available for $99.99 with a new line or eligible upgrade, a two-year service agreement with Sprint and a $50 mail-in rebate via reward card1.

Interested shoppers will be able to grab the handset starting next Friday, July 19, via Sprint sales channels including Sprint stores, Sprint Business Sales, Telesales (1-800-SPRINT1) and Web sales on the company's site.

"The only phone operating system with Live Tiles, Windows Phone 8 offers a truly personal smartphone experience designed to keep customers connected to the people and things that matter most," Sprint touts in the press release.

"Customers will appreciate access to the advanced features and capabilities of this device with the benefit of unlimited 4G LTE (available in select markets) data, text and calling to any mobile with no metering, no throttling, and no overages, all while on the Sprint network."

The HTC 8XT follows the HTC 8X, which enjoyed great success when it launched. Music enthusiasts will likely find the new smartphone very attractive, as the HTC 8XT rocks a couple of high-quality Beats Audio speakers, as well as with HTC BoomSound. The new model will also sport an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 1.6-megapixel front-facing shooter.

The smartphone features a 4.3-inch 720p touchscreen that gained high praise for its quality. Under the hood, the HTC 8XT packs a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor clocked at 1.4GHz, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, expandable via micro SD.

In other words, Sprint's upcoming HTC 8XT is essentially the same smartphone as the HTC Windows Phone 8S, which is already available at T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon. HTC, however, wanted to make the 8XT as eco-friendly as possible, so it allegedly removed all toxic materials and used 98 percent recyclable packaging. For more details on the HTC 8XT, check out the fact sheet on Sprint's website.

While the HTC 8XT is the first Windows Phone 8 smartphone to launch on Sprint, the carrier will not stop there. Sprint will also launch the Samsung Ativ S Neo WP8 smartphone this summer for $149.99 on contract. The exact release date for that smartphone is not available yet.