First LTE Smartphone to Hit US Market Lands at MetroPCS

The first LTE smartphone available in the U.S., the Samsung Galaxy Indulge, has been made available by MetroPCS, according to a PC Mag report. An Android-powered smartphone, the Galaxy Indulge will go on sale Feb. 11, three days before the HTC Thunderbolt arrives at Verizon Wireless, but just one day after the iPhone makes an appearance on the same Verizon network. 

Truly a scaled-down version of Samsung’s popular Galaxy S line of smartphones, the Galaxy Indulge is an Android 2.2 smartphone that offers a slick plastic body and slide-out keyboard with small, rubbery keys.

The phone also offers a 1-GHz Samsung Hummingbird processor, a 3.2-megapixel camera and a 320x480 LCD screen. And, because MetroPCS does not offer contracts and therefore does not subsidize its phones, the Indulge is expected to cost $399.

One cool, little perk is this phone comes with a 4GB microSD memory card already in place and the movie “Iron Man 2” is pre-loaded, as well as a number of custom MetroPCS apps. One interesting app is the virtual credit card that allows the user to charge purchases to their MetroPCS account just like a Visa card. The MetroPCS Easy WiFi auto-connects to a range of public WiFi networks.

The Galaxy Indulge is designed to work on the 4G LTE and 2G CDMA networks offered by MetroPCS. 4G is currently available in 13 major metro areas in the U.S. and the 2G network is nationwide.

MetroPCS assures users that varying 4G speeds will be available, based on how much spectrum is already in place in each city. The carrier promises at least 5Mbps down, but speeds are sure to be lower in Philadelphia and Boston. A quick test by PC Mag in New York brought speeds of around 2.5Mbps down.

While the phone is likely to garner positive attention, MetroPCS has been under some controversy due to its service plans. A $60 per month service plan offers unlimited data, although the phone cannot be tethered to a PC – which is rather normal. The $50 per month plan, however, segregates types of Web content, which some argue is a violation of net neutrality.

This plan provides unlimited Web browsing, but 1GB for video, audio and games. This arrangement can be a little complicated when users start landing on sites that offer music, videos or games. The Indulge is actually the second LTE phone to hit the MetroPCS network. The Samsung Craft was the first to arrive, although it is not a smartphone and was targeted to heavy YouTube users. MetroPCS reports the $299 phone has been selling very well.