We've heard a lot about Intel-powered smartphones in recent months, and devices like the ZTE Grand X IN and Motorola RAZR i have event come to market with Intel inside. However, we've yet to see an handset with an Intel chip launch here in the U.S. One reason for that may be that Intel's existing Medfield chips don't support 4G LTE connectivity, which is becoming a must-have feature on several of the top U.S. carriers. That'll be changing soon, as Sumeet Syal, Intel’s Director of Product Marketing, has confirmed to TechCrunch that LTE support is coming and that Intel is planning to begin "shipping some LTE products later this year and ramping into 2013."

The impending arrival of LTE devices from Intel isn't the only information that Syal dropped, as he also confirmed that dual-core Intel chips are coming. The Medfield chips that we're currently seeing in devices are of the single-core variety, but Syal said that Intel's got some dual-core Atom processors coming. "Our next gen product will be a dual-core but again that product will also have hyper threading so essentially… you will also have dual-core with four threads," the exec said.

While there's still a lot of mystery surrounding Intel's products and when we'll begin to see them launch stateside, the fact that the company will soon have products with LTE support helps to improve the chances of seeing an Intel device arrive on U.S. shelves. We've already heard that Verizon sees 4G support as a must-have feature, and with both AT&T and Sprint steadily building out their LTE networks, I'm sure that those two carriers would prefer to see LTE support in as many of their new products as possible. Here's to hoping that it's not too much later into 2012 when the first Intel-powered LTE devices begin popping up. How many of you are interested in giving an Intel device a go?

Via Android Central, TechCrunch