Thinking about opening your wallet for T-Mobile's version of the Samsung Galaxy Note II? Some news came out today that may help you make that decision. A report from Anandtech found that the hardware used in the T-Mobile Note II is pretty much the same as what's found in the Note II, meaning that T-Mobile's version of the device includes support for LTE. That doesn't mean much right now since T-Mobile's LTE network isn't expected to start going live until next year, but T-Mobile did confirm to The Verge that the Note II's chipset supports LTE and that while the device won't access T-Mo's LTE service on its own, the carrier will share the details of how and when it will access that network when the coverage goes live. T-Mobile's statement:
"The Galaxy Note II features a Qualcomm 9215M chipset which provides the hardware capability to support both HSPA+42 and LTE. 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."
There's still a lot of information that's up in the air, including more precise timing for when T-Mobile's LTE network will start lighting up, but this news could help make it easier for T-Mobile customers considering the Note II to drop $370 on it. As for how T-Mobile might get the Note II to support its LTE network, The Verge suggests that a software update could be released to enable connectivity, but we'll have to wait for T-Mobile's LTE network to start going live to learn the company's exact plans. Until that happens, Galaxy Note II owners can always get excited about the fact that they're running the latest version of Android.
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