4 frequently asked questions before buying 4G LTE cell phones
Before 4G LTE cell phones, people had to use Wi-Fi connectivity to get high-speed Internet. Whether you wanted to stream high-resolution videos or make video calls with your phone, you needed to be within the close proximity of a Wi-Fi hotspot as 3G connectivity simply did not have the needed capacity. However, with the release of 4G LTE cell phones, you can do all this and more by using the Internet connection of your cell phone.

What is the difference between 3G and 4G?

• 3G is the third generation of mobile telecommunication services. The data bandwidth offered by 3G cell phones is between 2 megabits per second (Mbps) and 21 Mbps with a peak upload rate of 5 Mbps and peak download rate of 21 Mbps.
• 3G cell phones have the capability for voice calls and data for instant messaging, audio downloads, and emails.
• 4G is the fourth generation of mobile telecommunication services. The bandwidth offered by 4G cellphones is between 2 Mbps and 1 gigabits per second (Gbps). The peak upload rate is 500 Mbps and the peak download rate is 1 Gbps.
• Along with voice, data, and multimedia capabilities, 4G cell phones also offer features for high-resolution mobile television, voice calls over the Internet, gaming services, video conferencing, and 3D television.

What is the difference between LTE and LTE+ technology?

• LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. It is a technology that makes it possible for devices to achieve the Internet speeds specified for 4G standards. 4G LTE allows at least 100 Mbps of download with speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps.
• LTE+ or LTE Advanced or LTE-A is a higher version that gives two to three times faster Internet speeds than LTE. LTE+ has the capacity to truly achieve the speed standards of 4G, while LTE achieves speeds which is just close to the standard speed specified for 4G by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R). LTE+ also has lower call drops compared to LTE connections.

Where can you buy 4G LTE cell phones?

• One of the best places to buy 4G LTE cell phones is through online retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and eBay. These retailers offer good discounts on cell phone prices. Whether you are looking for high-end premium 4G LTE phones or budget 4G LTE phones, you will find everything on these online retail platforms.
• Another way to buy 4G LTE cell phones is from the various carriers. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, US Cellular, and MetroPCS have good deals such as BOGO offers, BYO offers, and exchange offers on 4G LTE cell phones.
• Offline stores are also a good way to buy 4G LTE cell phones. The advantage here is that the phones can be personally tested and checked. You can unbox the phone in the store and return it in case of manufacturing defects and other issues.

Which are some of the affordable 4G LTE phones?

• Cricket Wireless LG Risio 3: Priced at around $70, this 4G LTE phone has a 5” in-plane switching (IPS) screen with 8 megapixels (MP) rear-facing camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. It has an internal memory of 16 gigabytes (GB) and external memory of 32GB. This phone has a quad-core 1.4 gigahertz (GHz) processor.
• Boost Mobile LG Stylo 3 : This phone costs approximately $180. With a screen size of 5.7”, this phone has a 13MP rear camera and 5MP front camera. The internal memory is 16GB, and it is expandable up to 2 terabytes (TB) with an external microSD card. This phone has octa-core 1.4GHz processor and 2GB of RAM.
• Verizon Prepaid LG Optimus Zone 3 : One of the best-prepaid 4G LTE cell phones, the Verizon Prepaid LG Optimus Zone 3 costs around $60. It has 8GB memory, which is expandable up to 32GB with an external microSD card. The phone operates on very high speed with its quad-core processor. It has a 5.0MP rear facing the camera and a 2.0MP front camera.

Tags: 4g lte cell phones