Samsung Announces LTE Versions of Galaxy S II and Galaxy Tab for Europe

Days after a tech blog got the scoop, Samsung on Sunday confirmed that it will unveil LTE versions of the the Galaxy S II smartphone (pictured left) and Galaxy Tab 8.9 at the IFA show in Berlin this week.

One-upping Apple's iDevices, both Samsung products will support the high-speed 4G network, LTE, which is two or three times faster than rival 3G or 4G networks. See The Fastest Mobile Networks 2011 for more.

Unfortunately, we U.S. customers probably won't be seeing these LTE/GSM/WCDMA-compatible devices anytime soon, since products announced at IFA typically hit Europe first.

But this may explain why Verizon – America's only major LTE provider – said last week it would not be supporting the original Galaxy S II smartphone expected to be unveiled on Tuesday. The LTE devices might also wind up being debut devices on AT&T's upcoming LTE network, which is scheduled to light up this year.

The Galaxy S II LTE, an upgrade from the original Galaxy S II phone that is apparently Samsung's fastest-selling smartphone to date, boasts a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor with 3D graphics support, 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus display, 1080p HD video recording, an 8-megapixel rear-faing camera, and Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread.

The LTE version of the Galaxy Tab 8.9—that's an 8.9-inch screen—lands in between the already-announced Galaxy Tab 10.1 and rumored 7.7-inch version also expected to launch at IFA this week. It brags a width of 8.6 mm and weighs 433 grams. Like the Wi-fi only Galaxy Tab 8.9 showcased in March, the LTE version will come with Android 3.2, aka Honeycomb, a dual-core processor, 3-megapixel front-facing and 2-megapixel rear-facing camera, and 1080p HD video playback.

Samsung has sent out invitations for a "major product announcement" in New York on August 30 (postponed a day due to Hurricane Irene), which is expected to be for the U.S. launch of the Samsung Galaxy S II smartphone, which has been available unlocked on AT&T since May.