Rumor: No LTE? Why is that upsetting?

[gollum18]

Hmm at the current state of all the lte networks I'd say leave the feature out, it sucks way to much battery and in most cases unless you live in a large city you cant even use it and I mean that for all carriers not just sprint. Although sprint probably will get the lg nexus when it comes out considering most of sprints flagship androids in the past have been LGS or HTCs. The non lte version probably is for sprint considering we don't even have a network yet, I just hope that deal with softbank goes through it could really speed things up.

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[Woosh]

Hmm at the current state of all the lte networks I'd say leave the feature out, it sucks way to much battery and in most cases unless you live in a large city you cant even use it and I mean that for all carriers not just sprint. Although sprint probably will get the lg nexus when it comes out considering most of sprints flagship androids in the past have been LGS or HTCs. The non lte version probably is for sprint considering we don't even have a network yet, I just hope that deal with softbank goes through it could really speed things up.

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I wouldn't count on Sprint getting this asap. The GN is less than 6 months old on their network and if they knew they were getting a brand new vanilla device then they would put GN at EoL which idt they have yet. Plus they are getting the Optimus G which is very close stats and specs wise to this although has a better camera.

But you are right about the "current state"....that Verizon commercial where they show their bar with the 4G LTE networks basically says it all. Its not a feature absolutely needed right now for an unlocked phone.

If this does go to Sprint though, it will 100% have LTE in it.

PS - Softbanks first action should be to boot Hesse to the curb.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

You guys are all forgetting that no carrier has to allow unlocked LTE devices to work on their LTE networks. Verizon is supposed to, but they don't care and just aren't doing it.

 

[theduder]

You guys are all forgetting that no carrier has to allow unlocked LTE devices to work on their LTE networks. Verizon is supposed to, but they don't care and just aren't doing it.

As far as I know, no other carrier (in the US at least) has LTE on compatible spectrum. All LTE phones only support one band at the moment (hence the multiple iPhone5 iterations). Not sticking up for Verizon, they do plenty of nasty things, but in this case there just isn't a demand for this because the scenario where you could move an LTE phone to Verizon from another carrier (and expect it to work) doesn't exist in nature yet.

 

[Ry]

You guys are all forgetting that no carrier has to allow unlocked LTE devices to work on their LTE networks. Verizon is supposed to, but they don't care and just aren't doing it.

But I think Google will work with carriers, like they did with the Verizon and Sprint Galaxy Nexus.

 

[ryanr509]

With the cdma version u almost need LTE. GSM version I could live without LTE because the HSPA+ is fast enough. Even when I am in Seattle,wa on LTE I don't use it because of the battery drain. Once they can get the battery life under control it will be better

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[Ryandroid86]

Lets not forget... what is the purpose for the Nexus phone.... Developers.... and why does a developer require LTE? They dont. If the phone loads there apps on a CDMA network... then everything will be fine. Plus Google doesnt want the phone to be over expensive. They need a gimmic for the consumer... but the necessities for the developers.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

As far as I know, no other carrier (in the US at least) has LTE on compatible spectrum. All LTE phones only support one band at the moment (hence the multiple iPhone5 iterations). Not sticking up for Verizon, they do plenty of nasty things, but in this case there just isn't a demand for this because the scenario where you could move an LTE phone to Verizon from another carrier (and expect it to work) doesn't exist in nature yet.

It can theoretically be done with Verizon and AT&T (freqs are close enough). But my point is that you CAN'T because they won't let you. When prepaid starts offering LTE then that'll be a game changer (and the symbol of the network being open).

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

Lets not forget... what is the purpose for the Nexus phone.... Developers.... and why does a developer require LTE? They dont. If the phone loads there apps on a CDMA network... then everything will be fine. Plus Google doesnt want the phone to be over expensive. They need a gimmic for the consumer... but the necessities for the developers.

Eh that's changing. The Nexus line is becoming more consumer focused as time goes on.

 

[Dr0me]

Eh that's changing. The Nexus line is becoming more consumer focused as time goes on.

agreed. I also think developers are the most obsessed with phones in general and would be the ones who want the best specs in the phones not mid range.

 

[Shadowriver]

Lets not forget... what is the purpose for the Nexus phone.... Developers.... and why does a developer require LTE? They dont. If the phone loads there apps on a CDMA network... then everything will be fine. Plus Google doesnt want the phone to be over expensive. They need a gimmic for the consumer... but the necessities for the developers.

Role of Nexus is to be generic phone showing of Android, contains the hardware that Google wants without any custom gizmos. T-Mobile G1 was exacly this kind of phone too and it was locked due fact it was T-Mobile branded phone but contained stack software, Google then sold special unlocked developer version of the phone and did the same with G2, as it's nexus unlocked on customer side too there no need for that. + Lack of SD Card which most Android phones has does not seems to be very developer friendly decision where you need to test your app behavior or removal and inserting SD Card

 

[cormaster628]

The G2 wasn't an official google phone. It was a desire Z without sense, and was supported about as well as any carrier phone, as it got 1 major update to gingerbread nearly a year after gingerbread came out

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[theduder]

It can theoretically be done with Verizon and AT&T (freqs are close enough). But my point is that you CAN'T because they won't let you. When prepaid starts offering LTE then that'll be a game changer (and the symbol of the network being open).

I don't think this is accurate. 700MHz is split into an upper and a lower portion. Because of interference issues, different band plans were adopted for spectrum, making it so the two portions couldn't interoperate.

Verizon bought the nationwide license for the upper C block. AT&T bought smaller licenses in the lower portion of the block.

Again, they are both 700MHz, but the networks are not compatible in theory or any other form.

Only a handset that has the ability to speak on both portions of the spectrum will work on both networks. To the best of my knowledge, the components don't exist yet to build such devices.

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[Kevin OQuinn]

I don't think this is accurate. 700MHz is split into an upper and a lower portion. Because of interference issues, different band plans were adopted for spectrum, making it so the two portions couldn't interoperate.

Verizon bought the nationwide license for the upper C block. AT&T bought smaller licenses in the lower portion of the block.

Again, they are both 700MHz, but the networks are not compatible in theory or any other form.

Only a handset that has the ability to speak on both portions of the spectrum will work on both networks. To the best of my knowledge, the components don't exist yet to build such devices.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

I'm no antenna expert, but antennas are capable of receiving more than one frequency, and can get "tuned" by the receiver for specifics. Since frequency is a wavelength, and antenna design is partially based on the wavelength of the frequency you're trying to receive, it seems that making an interoperable LTE phone for Verizon and AT&T would be pretty simple.

They did it for GSM and CDMA (in the iphone 4S and Qualcomm S4 chips). The issue is deciding to dedicate the TX/RX channels to those frequencies.

 

[cormaster628]

I still don't get what all the fuss is about lte. I've gotten speeds as high as 12 megs on hspa+, that's the same as my home network. And with limited data plans about the only real benefit is bragging rights with speed test screen shots. I have an lte phone, and I chose it over the regular gs2,and in hindsight I regret it. Battery life is horrendous over lte for no noticeable benefits

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[Woosh]

I still don't get what all the fuss is about lte. I've gotten speeds as high as 12 megs on hspa+, that's the same as my home network. And with limited data plans about the only real benefit is bragging rights with speed test screen shots. I have an lte phone, and I chose it over the regular gs2,and in hindsight I regret it. Battery life is horrendous over lte for no noticeable benefits

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Highest I have atm is 20 down....But I see the big deal. Ppl on Verizon do not have the choice, their 3G speeds are bad.

 

[Ry]

I still don't get what all the fuss is about lte. I've gotten speeds as high as 12 megs on hspa+, that's the same as my home network. And with limited data plans about the only real benefit is bragging rights with speed test screen shots. I have an lte phone, and I chose it over the regular gs2,and in hindsight I regret it. Battery life is horrendous over lte for no noticeable benefits

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IMO, the fuss is about Verizon (and Sprint) possibly not getting a version of this next Nexus.

Say what you want about CDMA-based carriers, but their subscribers are hard for any company to ignore. In the US, buying a phone without a subsidy is not the normal way of buying a phone. I don't see that changing within the next 2 to 5 years.

 

[cormaster628]

I see that but you can bet on any version they get will be carrier subsidized. As far as a play store phone, it's going to be gsm or nothing. I never have seen an unlocked phone designed to work on cdma, I imagine Sprint and Verizon have rights to their respective bands so it's virtually impossible to make an unlocked cdma phone.

Honestly I never did get why Verizon and sprint didn't overhaul their networks for gsm in the early 2000s like tmobile and Cingular did. Cdma is old dinosaur technology from the 90s

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[pauldroidr2d2]

Let's think about this for a second.

For the US, it seems like OEMs need to play the carrier game for LTE devices.

Currently, no one has released a phone that works on the LTE networks of Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and MetroPCS. Look at the Samsung Galaxy S3. You can't bring a carrier A's model to carrier B's LTE network. Same thing with the iPad 3 and iPhone 5. (I mention these devices because they are the best example of the supposed same phone across all networks)

If LTE models exist, I think it's highly likely that there will be carrier variants of this new LG Nexus, especially for Verizon and Sprint, that support LTE. AT&T would probably want one as well.

But I believe what we're seeing is the International or Play Store model. I hope LTE models are in the pipeline.

With so much "fragmentation" with the LTE frequencies, it probably isn't feasible to have a phone that can support all LTE networks.

Doesn't the iPhone 5 work on AT&T's LTE?

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[Ry]

I see that but you can bet on any version they get will be carrier subsidized. As far as a play store phone, it's going to be gsm or nothing. I never have seen an unlocked phone designed to work on cdma, I imagine Sprint and Verizon have rights to their respective bands so it's virtually impossible to make an unlocked cdma phone.

Honestly I never did get why Verizon and sprint didn't overhaul their networks for gsm in the early 2000s like tmobile and Cingular did. Cdma is old dinosaur technology from the 90s

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Wasn't GSM developed in the 80s?

Regardless. CDMA - code division multiple access. The tech behind it has been around since the 1930s.

I believe some the benefits of CDMA were the easier hand-off between towers, you know when you're mobile, and more coverage with less towers. For voice, I would definitely choose CDMA.

Heck. The GSM buzz was enough for me to favor CDMA.

I think people confuse the technology with the way that the systems were implemented. Example: not having a SIM card isn't a fault of CDMA, it's the fault of how mobile operators implemented their subscriber system.

That said. I don't really care about the Play Store. I like having a physical place to go and actually hold a device to check it out.