LG: LTE chip in the Nexus 4 was never meant to work
An LG spokesperson is attempting to lend some clarity to the case of the mystery LTE chip that was found inside the Nexus 4 during an iFixit teardown. As we initially speculated, the leftover hardware was included as a carryover from the LG Optimus G, namely its Snapdragon chipset. Here’s the explanation from the horse’s mouth:
“In order to provide the best possible specification for Nexus 4, LG utilised the same powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset as can be found in its 4G LTE product, namely LG Optimus G. This powerful chipset is only available with a combined processor and modem and cannot be implemented separately.”
What this doesn’t explain, however, is how Nexus 4 users in Canada have indeed managed to access certain LTE networks using little more than a few simple software tweaks. But we’re over the idea that this might be some grandiose conspiracy on the part of Google and LG. It seems likely that the limited LTE connectivity some users have unlocked is more a fluke of the hardware than a secret feature.
The fact remains that the LG-produced Nexus 4 lacks the necessary signal amplifiers and filters to provide access to a broad range of LTE bands, leaving virtually no hope for most. In other words, move along. Not much to see here.