At Macworld Asia 2011, China Unicom let slip that the iPhone 5 which we’re expecting to be announced next week will support 21 Mbps HSPA+ networks. That might suggest that LTE is a no-go for the next iPhone, but I’ll hold off on an official U.S. announcement before jumping to conclusions. Even if it’s just HSPA+, most carriers will have an easy time branding the iPhone 5 as “4G”.
Other specs are still pretty hazy, but we’re guessing the iPhone 5 will have a bigger screen and faster processor, but that’s about it. We’re still not quite sure if Apple will be announcing a full-blown iPhone 5 plus a lower-end version, but the time for playing the guessing game is quickly winding to a close.
Whatever the specs may be, people are already excited for Apple’s next smartphone, but personally, I’m going to be a teeny bit disappointed if the next iPhone is missing LTE, NFC, and a 4-inch screen. Of course, battery life is always a concern, so I could see why Apple would want to keep those features out. Were you guys hinging a purchasing decision on the iPhone 5 having LTE, or will it be just as good with HSPA+? With any luck, Apple will end up announcing two phones to address both demands.