Galaxy Note 2 release nears as multiple variants stroll through FCC (Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile)
The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has placed itself among the most anticipated devices of the year. This is despite its different, larger form-factor, which manufacturers tried to introduce before, but failed to do so right. Of course, the announcement invitations are enough proof that the device is coming to the US soon, but here is a bit more to get excited about – FCC filings.
There are 3 versions of the “phablet” strolling through the Federal Communications Commission, all headed to their relative major carrier – AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. We have the SGH-i317 for AT&T, the SCH-i605 for Verizon and the SGH-T889 for Verizon. All come with LTE-compatible radios. Even the T-Mobile version, which hasn’t yet launched its upcoming LTE network (some good future-proofing).
There is a bit of bad news attached to this FCC filing, though. Samsung made it seem like they were finally improving their strategy with the faster and headache-less Galaxy S3 release, but it seems we are back to the older ways. All carriers have the same Galaxy S3 variant with identical specs (except radios), which was not the case with the Galaxy S and S2.
Yes, there seem to be completely different versions of the Galaxy Note 2 coming to the states. Internals should be relatively similar, but differences in aesthetics can bring many issues. For one, it creates major compatibility issues with accessories. One may also not be satisfied with the variant dedicated to one’s carrier, making us go through the hassle of switching carriers (or conforming with a “lesser” variant).
Well, at least it looks like this release will be much speedier. This was our major grunt about multiple device variants – it usually causes device releases to be delayed. Everything seems to be going smoothly this time, so let’s wait until October 24th for the official announcement and see what Sammy has for us.
[Source: FCC 1,2,3 Via: Engadget]