First 4G LTE Smartphones for AT&T Hit Retail Next Week

Posted 10/31/2011 at 7:19am | by Paul Lilly

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AT&T seems to have figured out that at this point in time, mobile broadband access Ain't Nuthin But a 4G Thang and beginning November 6, 2011, the wireless carrier will offer its first 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) smartphones. These include the HTC Vivid and Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, a pair of 4.5-inch smartphones that will bring the total number of AT&T Android devices introduced in 2011 to 21 (AT&T had originally committed to a dozen).

In addition to a 4.5-inch qHD display (540x960 resolution), HTC's Vivid packs a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 8MP rear-facing camera with f2.2 28mm wide angle lens for low light photos, 1080p HD recording, and 16GB of onboard memory (expandable to an additional 32GB via microSD). The HTC Vivid will sell for $200 with a two-year contract.

Samsung's Galaxy S II Skyrocket lands at AT&T with a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display with an 800x480 resolution. It has a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8MP rear-facing camera with LED flash, 2MP front-facing camera, 1080p video recording, and 16GB of onboard memory, also expandable to an additional 32GB. This will sell for $250 on a two-year contract.

Vivid and Galaxy S II Skyrocket customers will have to pony up for one of AT&T's tiered data plans. The DataPlus plan provides 200MB of data for $15/month, with an additional 200MB of data usage also running $15. Alternately, the DataPro plan provides 2GB of data for $25/month, with an an additional 1GB of data priced at $10. Customers interested in tethering can sign up for the DataPro 4GB plan with mobile hotspot for $45/month. This also comes with a $10/1GB overage charge if you go over.