Samsung Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE with Category 6 Network Support Launched

Putting an end to recent rumours, Samsung on Monday finally launched the "World's First LTE Advanced Tri-Band Carrier Aggregation Smartphone" - the Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE. Carrying model number SM-916, the handset will hit the shelves in its home turf South Korea starting mid-January. The device's price and its availability outside the region is not yet known.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE's claim to fame is its network carrier features. The smartphone converges three different frequency bands into one single connection. Besides featuring a Category 6 network, which can offer download speed of up to 300Mbps, it also is Category 9 service ready, which boasts a download speed of 450Mbps. The Category 9 network service is however said to be commercialised in 2015.

Besides its network service offerings, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 S-LTE shares the same specifications as the previously launched Samsung Galaxy Note 4. To recall, the Galaxy Note 4 runs on Android 4.4 KitKat OS and includes a 5.7-inch Quad-HD (1440x2560 pixel) Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 515ppi. It also features a 16-megapixel autofocus rear camera with Smart OIS, and a 3.7-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/1.9 lens alongside 32GB of built-in storage, and expandability via microSD card (up to 64GB). Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/ Glonass, NFC, Bluetooth v4.0, IR LED, USB 2.0, and MHL 3.0.

Interestingly, the company has not mentioned the handset's processor, though it may be Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810, an upcoming 64-bit octa-core SoC due in early 2015 which was reportedly recently undergoing testing for Cat. 9 network support. Reports had previously tipped the new 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 includes four Cortex-A57 cores clocked at 1.9GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.5GHz.

"The LTE-A Tri-Band CA smartphone is a meaningful advancement in mobile and telecommunications technologies, and demonstrates Samsung's long-term commitment to providing innovation within the telecommunications industry," said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics of the launch. "We continue to set new challenges for the industry and push boundaries to take mobile technology to the next level and deliver the best possible customer experience."