Will Google enable the LTE radio in existing LG Nexus 4 phones?
It looks like an LTE-enabled LG Nexus 4 has just passed through the Bluetooth SIG, with a date of October 24, 2013. While some people are speculating that LG and Google are planning on releasing a new version of the Nexus 4, alongside the upcoming Nexus 5, one piece of the puzzle doesn’t quite fit: According to the official Bluetooth SIG listing, the model number of this device is LG-E960: the exact same as the 2012 Nexus 4.
Current Nexus 4 owners who have rooted their devices already know that LTE capability is built into this phone and works flawlessly – it’s just not enabled by default, nor is it accessible without rooting the device. What this tells me is that, rather than releasing a brand new device, Google will probably enable LTE functionality for existing phones in the upcoming Android 4.4 KitKat update.
If Google was really planning on releasing an updated Nexus 4 that had LTE enabled out of the box, the model number most likely would have been slightly different from the current year-old device. Additionally, there really have not been any significant rumors about Google carrying multiple Nexus phones, although that’s not entirely outside the realm of possibility. Since LTE connectivity has been proven to work in existing Nexus 4 phones, with a little bit of tinkering, I think the logical conclusion here is that Google will simply enable this for people who want it, but might not necessarily want to root their devices.
If this does happen, it will be restricted to T-Mobile customers only, along with a few AT&T customers who might also be able to connect in a few markets. This is due to the fact that the Nexus 4 only has compatibility with Band 4. Of course, we should know for sure what this is all about very soon.
[Bluetooth SIG]
