Things you need to consider before buying a 4G LTE capable handset in India

Airtel has already launched its 4G network in a handful of cities and other operators will follow the suit. If you want to be under the league of first movers, you should have a 4G LTE capable smartphone. If you think that all the high-end smartphones which are announced to be 4G LTE during their international launch are compatible with networks in India as well, you are mistaken. Indian telecom operators have received official license to operate 4G LTE networks (TD-LTE) over 2300 MHz band. You have to specifically look for a mobile phone or tablet which mentions 2300 MHz compatibility under its list of technical specifications.

Although, government of India has awarded 4G LTE license over 1800 MHz as well, operators haven't started offering 4G LTE connection over 1800 MHz as of now. All the major flagship smartphones such as iPhone 5S, HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z2 are equipped with Qualcomm baseband solutions, though the Sony Xperia Z2 is currently incompatible with 4G LTE in India (2300 MHz band). Apple iPhone 5S uses Qualcomm MDM9x15 baseband solution to support 2300 MHz 4G LTE spectrum in India and China.

1. Apple iPhone 6
2. Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3. Apple iPhone 5S
4. Apple iPhone 5C
5. HTC One M8
6. HTC One M8 Eye
7. HTC One E8 Dual SIM
8. HTC Desire Eye
9. HTC Desire 820
10. HTC Desire 820Q
11. LG G3
12. LG G3 Beat
13. LG G2 4G LTE
14. LG F70 4G LTE
15. Samsung Galaxy Note 4
16. Samsung Galaxy Alpha
17. Samsung Galaxy S5 4G
18. Sony Xperia Z3
19. Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
20. Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
21. Lenovo Vibe X2
22. Oppo Find 7
23. Oppo Find 7a
24. OnePlus One
25. Xolo LT900
26. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G

But once operators start releasing 4G LTE in other cities, we might see a huge increase in launch of 4G LTE compatible mobile phones. Even MediaTek will be releasing MT6595 SoC which will come with an integrated FDD/TD-LTE radio.