Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE-Advanced Release Date and Specs: Device Becomes Fastest Phone on the Market
BySamsung has unveiled a new version of its already-brand-new phone, announcing Wednesday the Galaxy S4 LTE-A, PC Magazine reported.
According to Forbes, Samsung already makes the phone with the fastest fourth generation (4G) data rate with Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology that has been available for some time now. The latest Galaxy S4 model will be the first to run LTE-Advanced (LTE-A).
Due to the limited availability of LTE-A, the phone will debut on the market this summer in Korea. PC Magazine reported T-Mobile and Sprint are also exploring LTE-A and that Samsung had a breakthrough in the development of 5G. However, that technology, expected to be 100 times faster than 4G, will not be commercially available until 2020.
"Samsung maintains a unique position for delivering LTE innovations as a provider of the parts, devices, and equipment required to deliver next-generation 4G LTE services," Samsung co-CEO JK Shin said in a statement. "The introduction of the Galaxy S4 LTE-A demonstrates Samsung's desire and ability to provide consumers with technological innovations that take advantage of increased network speeds to deliver richer and fuller experiences."
The new S4 features no new outward aesthetic changes, but has been redone inside. The LTE-A version runs a 2.3-GHz, quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor instead of the standard 1.6-GHz Samsung Exynos 5 Octa or a 1.9-GHz Qualcomm S4 Pro (depending on home location).
The new S4 features a 5-inch display, runs the latest Android operating system, has a 13 megapixel camera and can expand to up to 64 GB of memory with an SD card.
SK Telecom, a South Korean wireless operator, said they will likely sell the latest S4 model for the same price as the standard one.
"By supporting twice faster speeds than LTE, LTE-A will not only enhance customers' satisfaction in network quality, but also give birth to new mobile value added services that can bring innovative changes to our customers' lives," Park In-sik, SK Telecom's president of network business operations, said in a statement.