Next iPhone Will Reportedly Have "Global [4G] LTE Support"

NewImageAccording to a report from The Wall Street Journal, the next iPhone -- to be announced next week -- will support 4G LTE networks around the world, though it won't be available on every carrier.

Apple Inc.'s next iPhone will work on the fastest wireless networks around the world—including in the U.S., Europe and Asia—though it is unlikely to be available on every carrier, people familiar with the matter said.

[…]

It isn't likely to work with all carriers' LTE networks in all countries, the people said, though it wasn't clear which would be left out.

The first Apple device to support the higher-speed 4G LTE networks was the third-generation iPad, which supported AT&T and Verizon's networks -- but notably didn't work internationally. This resulted in complaints in numerous countries including Australia and across Europe.

Based on a roadmap of Qualcomm's mobile chips, it was predicted a year ago that the iPhone would not gain LTE until this quarter. The chipset that promises LTE speeds with much improved power consumption is the Qualcomm MDM9615. Conveniently, that chip is set to arrive in time for late 2012 delivery -- just in time for the new iPhone.

Battery life has been a sticking point for Apple, with the company's engineers refusing to compromise on run-time to support higher data speeds. The new iPhone battery runs at 3.8 volts and 5.45 watt hours versus 3.7 volts and 5.3 watt hours in the iPhone 4S.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

jvpython Avatar
152 months ago
Too little and too late. Android FTW

If you were so confident of Android's superiority why would you create an account on an Apple forum simply to troll?
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cvaldes Avatar
152 months ago
In regards to this topic, the main problem with the iPhone in the US market is that the Sprint/Verizon/AT&T/Virgin Mobile, etc iPhone can only be used on *that* respective network.
That's the carriers' fault, not Apple's.

American cellular companies suck.

GSM to CDMA?
LTE technology is separate from GSM/UTMS and CDMA/EV-DO.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pipa Avatar
152 months ago
Too little and too late. Android FTW

Damn fandroid's. It's funny how they come to macrumors to troll.

:apple:
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Carlanga Avatar
152 months ago
Apple are so behind the times. Android devices have had this capability for a while now.

sigh... not w/ the same power consumption. I like LTE, just don't love how much battery it sucks out of the current devices. Android LTE phones are like buying a car that can run really fast, but you have to stop every 1/4 mile to fill it up w/ gas.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fins831 Avatar
152 months ago
Its funny how LTE matters now, despite Android having it for a year and a half.

LTE came out and the battery life was atrocious, now they will be able to offer comparable battery life to 3G phones, and improving on that with each release (we hope).
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ARandomFellow Avatar
152 months ago
Its funny how LTE matters now, despite Android having it for a year and a half.

It's funny how you choose to ignore the reason Apple didn't include 4G and instead pretend that Apple decided it didn't matter. What they had to decide, more or less, was whether it mattered enough to make it worth the hit to the battery life it would have required, thereby making the iPhone as terrible as every one else's phones. It was a considered choice. Battery life or Faster data. Given that the iPhone has remained successful as have several competing phones that went the other route, cold, hard logic would suggest that neither choice was wrong or right for everyone. That's why it's good to have competition. Different ways of doing similar things provide the consumer with choices that are meaningful to them.

And along comes Qualcomm with a solution to everyone's problem. Win Win!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18 Apple Music Messages and Notes Feature 1

iOS 18 Rumored to Add New Features to These 16 Apps on Your iPhone

Tuesday April 30, 2024 10:44 am PDT by
Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and new features have already been rumored for many apps, including Apple Music, Apple Maps, Calculator, Messages, Notes, Safari, and others. Below, we recap iOS 18 rumors on a per-app basis, based on reports from MacRumors, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and others: Apple Maps: At least two new Apple Maps features are...
apple watch ipad demo 1

Check Out This Apple Watch iPad Demo Unit From 2014

Wednesday May 1, 2024 1:46 pm PDT by
With the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch approaching, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at an interesting bit of Apple Watch history. After the Apple Watch was announced in 2014, and before it became available in 2015, Apple sent out custom Apple Watch iPad demo kiosks to retail stores. The Apple Watch and iPad units used for these devices were specially designed, had custom ...
maxresdefault

Will the New iPad Pro Really Have the M4 Chip?

Wednesday May 1, 2024 8:30 am PDT by
While Apple's upcoming iPad Pro models have been expected to feature the M3 chip for over a year, recent reports have unexpectedly suggested that the new devices will instead feature the as-yet-unannounced M4 chip. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that he now believes there is a "strong possibility" that the upcoming iPad Pro ...
Apple CarPlay Dash

Report Examines GM's Controversial Move to Abandon Apple CarPlay

Wednesday May 1, 2024 4:53 am PDT by
An in-depth Bloomberg report today resurfaced General Motors' decision to replace Apple CarPlay with its own software. Last year, GM announced that it planned to forgo Apple CarPlay in its new electric vehicles, starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV. Instead, the automaker introduced a proprietary infotainment platform, aiming to control and customize the digital experience within its...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 hero feature blorange

Kuo: Apple Watch Ultra to Get 'Almost No' Hardware Upgrades This Year

Wednesday May 1, 2024 6:53 am PDT by
Just over six months ago, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the likelihood of a new Apple Watch Ultra being released in 2024 was "decreasing," but it now sounds like there will be an Apple Watch Ultra 3 this year after all. In a direct message shared with MacRumors today, Kuo said that while the Apple Watch Ultra will be updated this year, the new model will have "almost no"...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...