Samsung Galaxy S II Visits the FCC with North American 3G, i708 Development Phone Makes an Appearance as Well
Even though we have no word of when the Samsung Galaxy S II might hit North American shores, a recent FCC filing is as good an indication as ever of the inevitable launch of the Android 2.3 smartphone. The filing shows the handset with support for the 850MHz and 1900MHz North American 3G bands, making the phone compatible with AT&T in the US and Bell, TELUS, and Rogers in Canada.
We can’t be certain the phone will ever land in its current state in the US, as carriers in North America received unique versions of the original Galaxy S. If we had to guess, we’d most likely expect this filing to be for a phone destined for a Canadian carrier, but without any confirmation we can only speculate.
One thing seems certain: we probably won’t be seeing this phone until late summer or early fall. A user manual included in the listing is off-limits until September 6th and upcoming phones like the Samsung Stealth and Samsung Infuse 4G leave little room for a North American launch in the imminent future.
Along with the Galaxy S II, there is a curious listing for a phone with the model number Samsung i708. Most intriguing about this filing is the inclusion of cellular radios covering GSM frequencies for HSPA as well as CDMA and EVDO. The label says the phone is not for sale, but development only, meaning we may never see something with such a wide-range of radio power released to the general public. Still, a completely universal smartphone is an interesting notion.
[via Electronista]