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Yet another variant: Samsung to launch faster Galaxy S4

samsung galaxy s4 polycarbonate body macroSamsung appears to love its flagship Galaxy S4 handset to such an extent that it just can’t help pushing out more and more variants of the device.

In a move that may irritate a few of those who’ve already forked out for the handset, Samsung co-CEO JK Shin told Reuters on Monday that next up is a super-fast LTE-Advanced S4 that’ll be able to transmit data up to two times quicker than the current device.

According to Shin, the new, faster S4 could launch in South Korea as early as this month. Although he said the electronics giant was in talks with a number of overseas wireless companies about carrying the phone, he declined to divulge any further details.

Of course, the way things currently stand, few people will be able to take advantage of this latest S4 variant as there are currently hardly any LTE-Advanced networks up and running. But hey, if you happen to be in Russia and with wireless provider Yota, you’re in luck.

In the US, T-Mobile and Verizon are working on putting the infrastructure in place for LTE-Advanced, with AT&T looking to launch possibly toward the end of the year.

While it may seem a bit daft to release a handset with technology the vast majority of people can’t yet utilize, Samsung will hope the move plays well with consumers in boosting its image, helping to push the idea that it’s at the forefront of tech development and able to offer the very latest smartphone technology.

The Korean company has been busy announcing a number of S4 variants since the original model hits stores at the end of April. Besides the compact S4 Mini, you also have the more robust S4 Active and S4 Zoom sporting a 10x optical zoom.

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Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
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