The Galaxy S4 Mini was just officially unveiled and the smartphone world is buzzing with rumors that the South Korean giant is preparing two more spin-offs of the Galaxy S4 - the Galaxy S4 Zoom and Galaxy S4 Active. On Friday, the Galaxy S4 Zoom, which boasts of impressive camera specs, was spotted on the page of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) but we were surprised to find that LTE support was missing.
The alleged Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is registered under the codename SM-C101 on the FCC exhibits page. The new smartphone is said to be a camera-centric device and generally a toned down version of the Samsung Galaxy S4.
GforGames was the first to spot the FCC filing of the Galaxy S4 Zoom that may give consumers an idea about the rumored newest member of the Galaxy line of smartphones.
However, a quick look at the FCC documents showed the Galaxy S4 Zoom will not support LTE - the filing revealed that the device will only work on WCDMA, EDGE, and GSM 850 and 1900 networks.
If the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is already in its pre-production form, it is unfortunate that the consumers will not be able to tap the data speeds LTE can provide. It is also a bit odd as the Galaxy Camera is equipped with LTE radios.
Most likely the Galaxy S4 Zoom will be offered in the United States by T-Mobile and AT&T but there is no information yet if these carriers will offer subsidized plans. Samsung fans who are on Sprint or Verizon should not throw tantrums yet since the FCC filing might be showing the international version of the GS4 Zoom. The South Korean manufacturer might still submit a U.S.-spec device for testing later on.
Samsung is mum about the hardware specs of the Galaxy S4 Zoom but there are speculations it will have a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen and under its case will be a 1.6 GHz processor, 8GB of internal storage expandable using a microSD, and a battery with a capacity of 1,900 mAh.
The rumor mills are also claiming that the main camera of the Galaxy S4 Zoom will have a 16-megapixel sensor with 10x optical zoom capability.
Meanwhile, the FCC has also certified the Galaxy S4 Active, another rumored spin-off of the Galaxy S4, according to reports. This smartphone is said to have a FullHD 5-inch Super AMOLED display, a quad-core Snapdragon processor, and will be running on Android Jelly Bean. It will have a less potent 8-megapixel camera, 8GB of internal storage, a slot for microSD, and support LTE. The smartphone is expected to come in a metal body.
