Samsung has officially announced the world’s first LTE -Advanced smartphone and it comes as no surprise that it’s part of the Galaxy S4 range. That’s right — it’s another Galaxy S4 variant called the Galaxy S4 LTE-A.

Samsung promises that its first LTE-Advanced device will provide us with “twice-as-fast network speeds to produce an unparalleled multimedia experience.”

LTE-Advanced works by combining different radio frequencies and using them as one. Samsung refers to this as “leveraging carrier aggresion.”

This latest Galaxy S4 variant will have similar specifications to the standard S4. However, the S4 LTE-A will ship with Qualcomm’s next-generation processor, the Snapdragon 800, with 2.3GHz quad-core CPUs. The camera, RAM, screen and battery capacity all appear to be identical to the original Galaxy S4.

It looks like the internal memory will have a standard capacity of 32GB, up from 16GB, with the standard microSD slot for an additional 64GB.

According to the press release, which can be seen below, this phone will be a Korea exclusive set to launch this summer. The initial color options being Blue Arctic and Red Aurora, with more colors to follow after the launch.

SEOUL, Korea – June 26^th, 2013 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a leader in mobile technology and digital solutions, today announced the GALAXY S4 LTE-A, accelerating smartphone expectations with advanced multimedia experiences and the fastest downloads, web browsing, multimedia streaming and applications loading. The world’s first commercially available LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) smartphone, Samsung’s GALAXY S4 LTE-A, combines technology innovations included in the highly acclaimed GALAXY S4 with new advanced features and twice-as-fast network speeds to produce an unparalleled multimedia experience.

“Samsung maintains a unique position for delivering LTE innovations as a provider of the parts, devices and equipment required to deliver next generation 4G LTE services,” said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. “The introduction of the GALAXY S4 LTE-A demonstrates Samsung’s desire and ability to provide consumers with technological innovations that take advantage of increased network speeds to deliver richer and fuller experiences.”

World’s First LTE-A Smartphone

Samsung’s introduction of the GALAXY S4 LTE-A, the world’s first LTE Advanced-capable smartphone, is the latest expression of the company’s efforts in leading LTE technology. Samsung’s commitment to driving LTE adoption achieved its first milestone in 2010 with the launch of the Craft, the world’s first LTE feature phone, and continued in 2011 with the delivery of the Indulge, the world’s first LTE smartphone. In the last year, Samsung has also pioneered efforts to bring VoLTE network capabilities to users with the launch of the GALAXY S III LTE.

Doubled Network Speeds

The GALAXY S4 LTE-A’s advanced network enables users to experience substantially faster speeds – double today’s LTE speeds – by leveraging carrier aggregation, an approach that combines different frequencies and uses them as one. With this groundbreaking technology, users can enjoy uninterrupted high-resolution streaming of their favorite shows and stronger, faster speeds when playing games, browsing the internet, and downloading files and applications.

Unmatched Multimedia Experience

Featuring a powerful 2.3GHz quad core processor and a long-lasting 2,600mAh battery, and capable of accessing significantly faster network speeds, the GALAXY S4 LTE-A delivers an enriched multimedia experience to users. New features such as ImageON^＊ – which analyzes images that users view, then identifies and plays videos related to the image with just one click – extend access to relevant content on the internet and create new ways to experience and interact with multimedia resources. A high resolution Digital Media Broadcasting^＊ service delivers unparalleled clarity and viewing experiences for on-the-go consumption of live television programs or sporting events. In addition, the GALAXY S4 LTE-A is equipped with the same innovative features of the GALAXY S4 that help make daily life richer, simpler and more fun.

• SourceSamsung