Meet U.S. Cellular's first 4G LTE phone: Samsung Galaxy S Aviator
Officially on sale today, Samsung's Galaxy S Aviator now brings fast 4G LTE surfing to U.S. Cellular subscribers.
Sprint and AT&T aren't the only ones with big LTE plans. U.S. Cellular is taking bold steps to build out 4G LTE wireless data access, too. In February, the carrier announced the Samsung Galaxy S Aviator, its first smartphone to link to the provider's swift new infrastructure, and just last week it revealed its first 4G tablet. Today U.S. Cellular has officially launched the $199 handset.
Featuring a moderate helping of midrange components, the Samsung Galaxy S Aviator runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread pushed along by a single-core 1GHz Samsung Hummingbird CPU. A 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen and 1.3-megapixel camera sit on the phone's front face; an 8-megapixel shooter with LED flash are on back. There's even an HDMI port for plugging the phone into compatible HDTVs and monitors, if that's your bag.
The real draw here, of course, is the CDMA handset's capability to grab a connection to U.S. Cellular's fledgling LTE 4G service. That said, the carrier's 4G LTE footprint at this point only includes select areas in seven states. The company, however, plans to extend LTE service to cities in 10 additional states by the second half of 2012. If you're located in one of the areas where U.S. Cellular LTE is currently offered, you qualify for an additional $100 off the Samsung Galaxy S Aviator's sticker price for a limited time.