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

Popular Stories

2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Liquid Glass General Feature

Apple Shares Liquid Glass Design Gallery

Thursday November 6, 2025 2:45 pm PST by
Apple is promoting the new Liquid Glass design in iOS 26, showing off the ways that third-party developers are embracing the aesthetic in their apps. On its developer website, Apple is featuring a visual gallery that demonstrates how "teams of all sizes" are creating Liquid Glass experiences. The gallery features examples of Liquid Glass in apps for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Apple...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
airtag purple

Apple's Website Lists AirTag 4-Pack at Shockingly Low Price [Updated]

Friday November 7, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple's online store in the U.S. is suddenly offering a pack of four AirTags for just $29, which is the same price as a single AirTag. This is likely a pricing error, and it is unclear if orders will be fulfilled. Apple has not discounted the AirTag four-pack in any other countries that we checked. Delivery estimates are already pushing into late November to early December, suggesting...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google. For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
apple watch se 3 always on

Apple to Remove iPhone-Apple Watch Wi-Fi Sync in EU With iOS 26.2

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:37 am PST by
Apple in iOS 26.2 will disable automatic Wi-Fi network syncing between iPhone and Apple Watch in the European Union to comply with the bloc's regulations, suggests a new report. Normally, when an iPhone connects to a new Wi-Fi network, it automatically shares the network credentials with the paired Apple Watch. This allows the watch to connect to the same network independently – for...
ikea smart home devices

IKEA Debuts 21 HomeKit-Compatible Smart Bulbs, Sensors, and Controls

Thursday November 6, 2025 4:08 pm PST by
IKEA today announced the upcoming launch of 21 new Matter-compatible smart home products that will be able to interface with HomeKit and the Apple Home app. There are sensors, lights, and control options, all of which will be reasonably priced. Some of the products are new, while some are updates to existing lines that IKEA previously offered. There are a series of new smart bulbs that are...
Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple's 2026 Smart Home Revamp: All the Rumors

Wednesday November 5, 2025 3:54 pm PST by
It's been over a decade since Apple's HomeKit smart home platform launched, and it is overdue for an update. HomeKit and the Home app can no longer keep up with AI-powered solutions from other companies like Google and Amazon, but that's set to change with a smart home revamp that Apple has planned for 2026. Home Hub Apple is working on a home hub or "command center" that will serve as a...
apple tv logo physical

New Apple TV Intro Was Made With Practical Effects

Thursday November 6, 2025 7:02 am PST by
The all-new intro sequence for Apple TV was made with practical effects and shot in-camera, Ad Age reports. Rather than using digital techniques, the new sequence was made by shooting large glass versions of the Apple TV logo, with physical motion and changing lighting used to create effects. Apple partnered with TBWA\Media Arts Lab to create the intro. Ad Age released an exclusive look...

Top Rated Comments

jvpython Avatar
172 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
172 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
172 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
172 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
172 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
172 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)