According to a recent study, a test of battery life between 3G (CDMA) and VoLTE showed a 50% reduction when placing calls over LTE only. The test apparently took place over an unnamed U.S. operator’s network in two major markets using a smartphone that was capable of making both VoLTE and CDMA calls. We do not know the specific device, only that it was using a fully charged 1540mAh battery. 

Over the weekend, some crafty Canadians figured out a way to get the LG Nexus 4 working on their Band 4 LTE networks. The world was semi-shocked, as Google and LG released this as a non-LTE phone. Unfortunately, hopes were already raised, talk of a future software update to enable LTE was tossed around recklessly, and every person in the U.S. with the phone probably called T-Mobile to ask when their LTE network would be built out.  

Crazy, right? LTE working on the LG Nexus 4. Yes, this is the same phone that Google itself said would not run on the world’s next-gen wireless networks. We knew it had an LTE chip inside, thanks to a teardown, but very few figured the chip would ever work. It brings me great pleasure to report that we were all wrong, as it does indeed work on LTE Band 4. 

Well, would you look at that. On Friday evening, iFixit posted their “teardown” of the LG Nexus 4 and discovered that it has a Qualcomm 7-band 4G LTE chip inside it. But, wait! I thought it didn’t have LTE and was HSPA+ only? It is. For whatever reason though, an LTE chip was left inside.

Could it have something to do with the LG Optimus G having 4G LTE, a phone that is almost an identical build to the LG Nexus 4? Maybe. Was there a chance that it would have LTE at launch, but breakdowns in carrier negotiations stopped it? Eh, you’d be going out on quite the conspiracy limb to suggest that. Who knows, maybe Google was simply future-proofing the phone to be able to connect to LTE somewhere down the road? Or what are the chances that an LTE-ready version launches in the coming months? No one but Google probably knows the answers to those questions.

The bottom line is, that there is an LTE chip inside this phone. We just aren’t sure that it’ll ever be operable. One can dream.

Via:  iFixit

Cheers Scott, BAoxymoron, Kane, Nick, Justin and the other dozen or so of you!

On Monday, after Google announced the LG Nexus 4, we asked the DL community if they were ready to buy one. Almost 70% of readers said “No” for a variety of reasons. The lack of LTE came up quite a bit, the lack of removable storage and the limited internal storage were there as well. Most of you are Verizon customers, so the fact that the phone won’t work on their network was also a big negative.

If there was something that you could definitively change though, that would get you to pull the trigger, what would it be? Would it need to be subsidized on Verizon? What if it had LTE, but was only available on AT&T? You tell me.

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Google’s new Nexus 4 is official as of this morning. While the device itself has almost every top-of-the-line spec in the business, there is one that was left out that has a few scratching their heads. Why doesn’t the Nexus 4 have LTE support? According to Andy Rubin, there are a number of reasons, most of which they learned after releasing the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon with LTE. 

The Galaxy Note 2 is poised to take over America and each carrier wants to make their device as good, if not better than the others. An interesting look into the guts of the T-Mobile Note 2 however, showed that the hardware is there for LTE support. The AT&T and T-Mobile versions are pretty much similar, except for the fact that one carrier has many LTE markets and one has none.

T-Mobile plans to reach more than 200 million Americans with LTE by the end of 2013. The Galaxy Note II will not automatically access T-Mobile’s LTE network. We will share more information on how and when the Galaxy Note II will support T-Mobile’s upcoming LTE network when the network is available.

Certainly hopeful on T-Mobile’s part from the sounds of it. When T-Mo’s LTE does go live this will require a system update to activate, but the network has to be there first. We hope they get in gear and get that network going sooner rather than later.

Via: The Verge

Surprise, surprise, there is another patent battle going on. This time Apple and HTC are arguing over patents in the International Trade Commission. In this trial, HTC is claiming that Apple is infringing upon patents having to do with LTE technology, patents that were secured for the HTC Thunderbolt. They now say that these patents are used in the new iPad and will be used in the new iPhone.

ITC Judge Thomas Pender said the case might end up with an import ban unless Apple can invalidate the two patents in question, which he also said is not very easy. We just got a statement from Samsung last week saying they would sue over an LTE iPhone, is this going to give Android some wins in the court room?

Via: Bloomberg