AT&T has announced its first 4G smartphone to come with support for HD Voice as standard. Sadly, it’s not one of the new top-of-the-range devices, and isn’t even very recent. It’s the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini from last year. The HD Voice system works using VoLTE, or Voice Over LTE, and enables you to use data while making a call.
To get your hands on the Galaxy S4 Mini, you can pay $50 and sign up for a two-year contract, or if you decide to go with one of AT&T’s Next plans, then it’ll be $14.24 per month on Next 18 or $18.50 per month on Next 12.
The Galaxy S4 Mini was originally announced in June last year, so is coming up to a year old, and it shows in the specifications. The screen measures 4.3-inches and has a 960 x 540 pixel resolution, while the processor is a dual-core, 1.7GHz Snapdragon chip. Around the back of the phone – which looks like a small Galaxy S4 – is an 8-megapixel camera.
If you’re thinking of buying the Galaxy S4 Mini, then it’ll probably be because of HD Voice. AT&T, along with most other major networks, have been promising HD Voice’s arrival for some time. It’ll be worth the wait though. HD Voice promises better call quality and less background noise during calls, and has been in use around the world for several years.
However, to get any benefit from it, both parties will have to own a smartphone with HD Voice, and be connected to both an HD Voice compatible network and cell tower. Get all those ducks in a row, and you’ll enjoy a super clear call. AT&T says the Galaxy S4 Mini with HD Voice will be sold in black or pink from May 23.
