Everything Everywhere has created EE, a new network for its 4G LTE service, and one of the first phones to take advantage of that faster technology will be an LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy S3.
There's no word yet on when this LTE-capable smart phone will be released, or how much it will cost, but with EE's 4G network launching within weeks, I'd cautiously expect this mobile to be out before Christmas.
Read on for a hands on information that will make you plan ahead
.LTE speed
The Galaxy S3 LTE is a 4G phone. That means it has the hardware required to latch onto a network's 4G spectrum band, which delivers much faster data. In practice, videos will load much more quickly and web pages will appear with less delay. It'll also be faster to install apps and do pretty much anything that involves an Internet connection.
Designated a 4G phone by the bobbly LTE icon glued onto its rear, this phone performed very well when I gave it a speed test. My hands-on time was limited, but I saw web pages loading snappily and was hugely impressed by the results I nabbed.
The download speeds afforded by an LTE connection rival home broadband.
Using the Speed Test app, the S3 LTE managed a very fast 39.57Mbps download and 23.95Mbps upload. That's extremely nippy and it's significantly quicker than many people's home broadband.
I ran the test a few more times -- once it came back slightly slower at 26.43Mbps download, though that's still impressively quick, and on another test it just edged past the 40Mbps mark.
Only time will tell whether this phone, and other LTE mobiles, can manage real-world speeds that are anywhere near that benchmark. Network strain, location and other factors could easily affect the speeds you ultimately achieve.
It's also worth noting that I spied a 3G phone loading a web page ever-so-slightly faster than its 4G equivalent once or twice, so for everyday tasks like web browsing, the difference may not be terribly obvious. I'm also hoping 4G downloading doesn't prove a horrendous battery drain.
Design and hardware
In design terms, the S3 LTE is almost completely identical to its non-4G equivalent. Rounded and light, it's a good-looking mobile. For more on this smart phone's style, I'd recommend checking out the design section of our exceedingly detailed Galaxy S3 review.
Apart from the logo, the handset appears the same as the regular S3.
The only visible difference is an LTE logo plastered on the phone's rear. I don't think it's particularly attractive, but at least it's out of the way. EE will be exclusively selling the S3 LTE in titanium grey (pictured), alongside the widely available blue and white options.
The S3 LTE is a quad-core phone, which means it beats the US version of the 4G S3, as that device is dual-core. Once you've stopped waving your union jack, you'll be interested to learn that the processor is clocked at a hearty 1.4GHz, so this mobile will power through even the most demanding apps and games. Other benefits from the powerful chip will include a lack of lag when you're swiping through the phone's menus.Elsewhere, there's an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a 1.9-megapixel snapper bolted onto the phone's front. You get 16GB of on-board storage, which you can expand using a microSD card if it's not enough.
Software
The Galaxy S3 LTE will arrive running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which is the latest version of Google's mobile operating system. Samsung has stuck its own TouchWiz interface on top of the default Android software -- for more on this Android skin and other app goodies that Samsung will be pre-installing.
We'll see how Samsung's interface tweaks to Android Jelly Bean perform in the full review soon.
The non-LTE Galaxy S3 is currently running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but will be updated in October. Jelly Bean brings new features including Google Now, a service that gives you information relevant to you based on things like your location or search history. For example, conjure up Google Now before you leave for work and it could give you travel information for your commute.
Outlook
The arrival of 4G is an exciting technical step forward for mobile Internet connection and a popular, powerful smart phone like the Galaxy S3 is an ideal standard bearer. As for whether this phone will be worth shelling out for, we'll have to wait and see how the impressive speeds 4G is promising delivers in real life.
