Google's recently-released LG Nexus 4 smartphone has given Android users much to be happy about. Not only is it sleek and up to date, the smartphone is affordable without any contractual obligations. One of the main criticisms the handset has received is its lack of LTE. It turns out that the Nexus 4 does have LTE - only you just can't really use it.
Whenever a high-profile smartphone or tablet releases, the folks over at iFixit spend their time disassembling the device in order to see what lies underneath the hood. In their LG Nexus 4 teardown, iFixit discovered that the Nexus 4 does sport a Qualcomm multi-band LTE chip. The LTE chip is deactivated, however, meaning it is essentially a vestigial organ in the Nexus 4.
Activating this LTE chip won't be a simple matter, since LTE radio firmware needs to be developed specifically for the Nexus 4. Oh, and there's the small matter of it being illegal since the Nexus 4 is only approved by the FCC for GSM/HSPA+.
So why include an LTE chip, yet not take advantage of it?
One reason could be because of the phone's manufacturing process, states Ars Technica. The Nexus 4 is actually almost a carbon copy of the LG Optimus G, which does come with an active LTE chip. In an effort to cut back on costs, LG may have simply decided to use the same chips, and simply leave the LTE aspect dormant. This would make complete sense from a supplier's point of view.
Another, more exciting reason could be because there are carrier-locked LTE versions of the Nexus 4 on the way. Carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint, which all have growing LTE networks, may have called dibs on releasing an LTE variant sometime in the new future, forcing Google to stick to an unlocked HSPA+ model for now.
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