The NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipsets does not come with an integrated LTE modem. This has forced handset manufacturers to release North American variants of their quad-core Tegra 3 smartphones. Examples include both HTC and Samsung with the HTC One X and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S III.
NVIDIA originally expected to have its Tegra processor with built-in LTE connectivity (codenamed Grey) out by the end of the year. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang this week announced that this has slipped into early 2013. On the analyst call that followed its latest financial results, Huang said:
“Looking forward, you’ll see Tegra 3 LTE phones with partners’ baseband processors in the second half of this year and then next year with our own LTE baseband processors as well.”
Instead, as Huang says, we will see Tegra 3 processors paired with partners’ baseband processors, later this year. Such devices could arrive in North America “towards the end of the year.”
Huang also added that investors should not fret too much. “Although we don’t have LTE at the moment, LTE is predominantly a U.S.-centric phenomenon. Outside of the United States, the big superphone upgrade is quad-core,” he said. Tegra 3 smartphones are now available from 22 carriers in Europe and Asia.
NVIDIA is also wrestling with demand still outstripping supply for its latest GPUs, namely 28-nanometer chips.
Read more: CNet