4G LTE Phones Expected at MWC
The Mobile World Congress is kicking off in a week and most of the buzz about the new mobile devices center on which companies are announcing 4G LTE devices. LTE technology is set to overtake 3.5G as the dominant category in wireless infrastructure so mobile phone manufacturers are racing to provide phones that support 4G LTE technology.
Major handset makers are set to announce 4G LTE capable phones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Chinese handset maker ZTE already announced two LTE capable smartphones this Monday that the company will show off at MWC next week. The ZTE PF200 has a dual-core 1.5Ghz processor, a 4.3 inch 960x540 pixel touchscreen with an 8 megapixel rear-facing camera and a front facing camera capable of HD recording. It supports LTE and UMTS-based 3G as well as Near Field Communication capability and the usual Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity.
The other ZTE smartphone, the N910 has a dual-core 1.2Ghz processor and a 4.3 inch touchscreen with 800x400 resolution. It has a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera and a front facing camera capable of recording in 1080p. The phone supports LTE, CDMA and EVDO networks. ZTE will also unveil other LTE devices at MWC including tablets and datacard products.
LG is unveiling two tablet and smartphone hybrids at MWC this year. The Optimus Vu has a 5 inch IPS screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio. The giant screen phone has a 1.5Ghz dual core processor, 8 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front camera, 32 Gb of onboard storage, Wi-FI, HDMI, a stylus and runs on Google's Android OS. The smartphone will support 4G LTE connectivity.
Nokia's keeping a lid on its MWC line-up but there are rumors that Nokia is going to release an updated version of the Lumia 710 that supports 4G LTE. The upgraded Lumia will be renamed the Lumia 730 and will pack an 8 megapixel camera and will come out in the second quarter of 2012.
Joining Nokia with its LTE-capable Windows Phone are Samsung and HTC. Both handset makers are reportedly releasing Windows Phones with LTE support this year. Expect more announcements when MWC goes underway next week.