Will We Have to Wait for Q3 2013 for Quad-Core Tegra With LTE Support?

Right now, NVIDIA’s flagship quad-core Tegra 3 ARM-based processor with GeForce graphics does not offer support for the next-generation 4G LTE mobile broadband technology, which is why AT&T and other LTE carriers are opting to use Qualcomm’s dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU instead of Tegra 3 in a number of high profile devices like the HTC One X smartphone (also with S4 on the Sprint HTC EVO 4G LTE variant). And it doesn’t look like that will change anytime soon as a leaked roadmap hints that LTE support may not be happening until the third quarter of next year in an updated version of the Tegra 3 chipset called Tegra 4.

With Tegra 4, NVIDIA is planning several variants with different clock speeds, but all versions will retain the ‘4+1‘ architecture, more commonly referred to as quad-core, that debuted with the company’s Tegra 3 CPU.

According to Engadget, the Tegra 4 T40 will be the first out of the gate with a first quarter 2013 release and will run at a faster 1.8 GHz clock speed utilizing the ARM Cortex A15 architecture. The Tegra T43 will follow later in the year in the third quarter with a 2.0 GHz clock speed utilizing the same ARM Cortex A15 architecture. And then it seems that a more mainstream version of Tegra 4, which perhaps means more cost efficient version, will also debut in the third quarter with the model number AP40 and will have clock speeds any where between 1.2 to 1.8 GHz. And finally, a mainstream SP3X version of Tegra 4 is on the charts, and this one is notable with a more efficient quad-core ARM Cortex A9 architecture, 4G LTE support along with HSPA 42 Mbps support, and clock speeds ranging from 1.2 to 2.0 GHz.

It’s unclear how the faster clock speeds on Tegra 4 will compare with Qualcoom’s current-generation flagship dual-core Snapdragon S4 CPU.