MetroPCS is describing the Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Korea: SEC) Galaxy Indulge as "the world’s first commercially available 4G LTE Android smartphone." The operator is offering the phone for US$399 with no contract, with a $50 or $60 service plan.
The phone appears fairly similar to the Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) Epic 4G from Samsung. That device also uses the Android 2.2 "Froyo" operating system with a flip-out QWERTY keyboard and a 1GHz "Hummingbird" processor.
Why this matters A full-featured Android smartphone on MetroPCS's LTE network should appeal to those who live in the handful of metropolitan areas that the network currently serves. The operator is unlikely to be the only provider with an LTE smartphone for long. Verizon expects to have four LTE smartphones out by mid-year. MetroPCS, however, appears to be trying to undercut its bigger rivals with cheaper LTE data plans.
For more Learn more about MetroPCS's LTE deployment:
— Dan Jones, Site Editor, Light Reading Mobile