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Samsung Galaxy S III features DC-HSPA.[/caption]
The Samsung Galaxy S III is already a very desirable device, with a host of features that have made it one of this year's must-have phones. And now another benefit has been added in the shape of DC-HSPA connectivity.
So what is DC-HSPA? Well, basically, it's a faster variant of 3G - something to fill the gap until the UK finally gets proper 4G. Until this week there were only two devices that offered DC-HSPA compatibility - the iPad and the Nokia Lumia 900. The fact that it has now arrived on the Samsung Galaxy S III will help to increase its coverage.
How much faster DC-HSPA turns out to be all depends on the network. Vodafone, which is the first network to offer DC-HSPA, says its top download speeds are 28.8Mbps, whereas O2 is making claims of potential maximums of 42Mbps. Three and Everything Everywhere will also be rolling out DC-HSPA, but as yet there are no more details about what their offerings will include.
If you're planning on buying a mobile device in the near future, the addition of DC-HSPA is likely to be a factor in your decision making only if you live in a city. O2 (and no doubt all the other networks) will be launching in the major cities to start with. So if you live in a suburban or rural area, contract details will still be more important than DC-HSPA compatibility when making a buying decision.
