Report: Apple testing 4G iPhone

By Molly McHugh August 15, 2011

Rumors of a 4G iPhone 5 have been repeatedly shot down, but apparently Apple isn’t giving up on LTE. According to Boy Genius Report, Apple and its carriers are testing 4G-capable iPhones. A copy of an internal Apple carrier document detailing iOS test builds supposedly reveals LTE-enabled devices.

This doesn’t mean the next iOS release will include 4G connectivity, however. But it’s encouraging that Apple likely intends to bring LTE devices to the market. Apple made its users exercise patience when 3G was first being implemented in consumer handsets, waiting about a year after the technology was being widely used before introducing a 3G iPhone. 4G devices are becoming increasingly prevalent, and it would be just like the company to take its sweet time bringing an LTE-iPhone to the plate.

It’s good news for 4G iPhone hopefuls – as long as they don’t pin their hopes on a 4G iPhone 5. We’ve heard an LTE-enabled iPhone is approximately a year out, and concerns like battery life and a rumored shortage of LTE Qualcomm chips just makes the wait seem more likely. Apple has claimed it’s satisfied with its iPhones 3G performance, and comments like this make us feel as if it’s planning on investing in other mobile technologies sooner. It’s just a hunch, but functions like NFC technology or introducing the iPhone to more networks seem like a greater possibility. Still, somewhere out there, Apple is testing a 4G iPhone, so it’s only a matter of time.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…

Mobile

iPhone SE 4: news, rumored price, release date, and more

The Apple iPhone SE (2022) and Apple iPhone SE (2020) together.

While the spotlight always seems to be on Apple’s mainline iPhones, the iPhone SE is a great pick for those who are on a budget. If you want an iPhone that doesn't break the bank, the SE is the way to go.

The original iPhone SE came out in 2016, and then Apple revamped it in 2020 and 2022 by giving it some more modern hardware. The iPhone SE tends to get updated every two or so years rather than annually like the traditional iPhone. This means that we should see a new iPhone SE 4 this year, but it’s not so cut-and-dried with this particular model.

Mobile

3 reasons why I’ll actually use Anker’s new iPhone power bank

A person holding the Anker MagGo Power Bank.

Power banks are a necessary evil, and even if you don’t consider yourself a “power user” who's likely to drain a phone’s battery in less than a day, there will be times when one comes in handy. And when I am forced to carry one, I want it to be as helpful and versatile as possible.

I’ve been trying Anker’s MagGo Power Bank 10K -- meaning it has a 10,000mAh cell inside it -- and there are three reasons why I'm OK with it taking up valuable space in my bag.
It has a screen on it

Mobile

Here’s how Apple could change your iPhone forever

An iPhone 15 Pro Max laying on its back, showing its home screen.

Over the past few months, Apple has released a steady stream of research papers detailing its work with generative AI. So far, Apple has been tight-lipped about what exactly is cooking in its research labs, while rumors circulate that Apple is in talks with Google to license its Gemini AI for iPhones.

But there have been a couple of teasers of what we can expect. In February, an Apple research paper detailed an open-source model called MLLM-Guided Image Editing (MGIE) that is capable of media editing using natural language instructions from users. Now, another research paper on Ferret UI has sent the AI community into a frenzy.