The HTC Vivid is one of AT&T’s first LTE-capable phones – the other being the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket – although you won’t find the 4G moniker anywhere in its name. It’s odd, simply because every other fake 4G phone – or HSPA+ phones – carried the name, like the Inspire 4G or Atrix 4G. Instead, the LTE-packing HTC Vivid makes it pretty clear that AT&T has finally arrived when it comes to the next generation of blazing fast mobile broadband.
The obvious limitations lie in AT&T’s LTE footprint: it’s tiny and still has a long way to go. However, for the cities that do have it, a device like the HTC Vivid can provide up to 15Mbps down on average, with peaks of up to 25Mbps, which is incredible. I will disclose, however, that all of my testing was done in New York City where AT&T LTE isn’t available yet, but I was still surprised at how well it performed over HSPA+.
So, is the HTC Vivid worth your while, or should you pass and wait on upcoming LTE devices? Read on to find out.