First LTE Windows Phones may be HTC Radiant, Samsung Mandel
updated 11:20 am EST, Thu December 29, 2011
HTC, Samsung to get early LTE Windows Phone update
Microsoft's promised LTE support in Windows Phone may come very early with two devices. A leak Thursday to The Verge had two devices, the HTC Radiant and Samsung Mandel, running an interim version of the OS that would predate Tango but add 4G. Little is known about either device besides that the Mandel would likely have a larger screen than the 4.3-inch Focus S (shown).
Although Microsoft has historically been slow to add hardware support to Windows Phone, it has a strong incentive to add LTE support early. Nokia may have a 4G-aware Lumia as soon as CES in mid-January. Verizon has also said it won't return to Windows Phone without LTE built-in as the platform on 3G isn't considered enough to lure customers.
The Mandel and Radiant might not be unveiled until Mobile World Congress in late Februrary, where Microsoft might equally reveal the Tango update. If so, the phones most likely wouldn't appear until the spring, just before Tango itself.
