First HSPA+ Handset Debuts, T-Mobile G2 Running Android 2.2

“T-Mobile today finally unveiled the G2, the first smartphone to
run on its HSPA+ network, running Android 2.2 and capable of 4G
data downloads, featuring a 3.7-inch screen, full keyboard and HD
video capture.

“The G2 is the first smartphone to run on the high-speed network
technology HSPA+, which means it can download at speeds of up to
14.4 Mbps (megabits per second) on T-Mobile’s network, according to
the carrier. Still, there’s some debate over the actual performance
of both 4G and HSPA+ devices, and Sascha Segan of PCMag writes of
the difference based on hands-on experience.

“”That’s (14.4 Mbps) double the speed of T-Mobile’s and
AT&T’s fastest previous phones, which operated at 7.2 Mbps —
but it still doesn’t reach the maximum speed of T-Mobile’s network,
which runs at theoretical speeds of up to 21 Mbps. In real-life
circumstances, we’ve gotten speeds more like 5 Mbps with USB modems
on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ system. That’s the fastest 3G system where it’s
available, and it often matches Sprint’s 4G WiMAX on speed,” writes
Segan.”

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