Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 has just joined the ranks of Android devices to receive an upgrade to support LTE-A, and in this case, it was through the addition of a Snapdragon 810 processor. The device has been confirmed to be coming to the market in 2015 by Samsung themselves, and it will actually be the debut mobile device for the Snapdragon 810, the latest in Qualcomm’s popular line of mobile processors.
The chip came out on the market in April, and improves the supported download rate significantly with the help of LTE-A technology, implemented in Advanced Category 6 modems, as well as 64-bit processors. The device will also utilize the Adreno 430 graphics processor, making it capable of rendering high-quality 3D graphics, which means that the new Galaxy Note 4 LTE-A should be a perfect device for mobile gaming.
Currently, the chip isn’t used in any mobile devices. The current version of the Galaxy Note 4 uses the chip’s predecessor, the Snapdragon 805, which is also utilized in the Google Nexus 6. It’s not known if the 805 is going to continue gaining popularity, or if it will be overtaken by the new 810 with its improved capabilities and full LTE-A support, but there should still be a good market for devices not capable of an LTE connection, especially given the cheaper price of relevant components.
The Galaxy Note 4 LTE-A won’t have any other improvements over the standard model, and everything else will remain the same. The processor is the only thing Samsung have decided to upgrade, although this should also be reflected in the price – it’s expected that the Galaxy Note 4 LTE-A won’t cost that much more than its original counterpart.
The device is a popular choice among fans of the “phablet” design, with a satisfyingly large 5.7 inch screen running at a 1440p resolution, and the phone ships with Android 4.4 KitKat. The camera has been commended by some critics, even though its sensor doesn’t sound like anything impressive at first with its 16 megapixels. It’s reportedly actually quite good, especially under more difficult conditions such as low light, although of course it still has its limitations, being a phone camera.
Currently, LTE-A devices can be utilized in the United States, United Kingdom, Asutralia, as well as a few other countries around the world. It’s a major upgrade over standard LTE running on 4G, but it’s not backwards compatible with older LTE devices, so users will have to buy a specialized handset like the new Galaxy Note 4 in order to benefit from the higher download speeds – which can go up by as much as four times.