US Cellular Launches First LTE Android Smartphone

US Cellular has announced the launch of its first LTE Android smartphone in the Samsung Galaxy S Aviator. The Aviator includes a 4.3-inch WVGA resolution Super AMOLED+ display, an 8.0 megapixel main camera with LED flash, front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera, and an HDMI port along with a microSD slot.

The Galaxy S Aviator will be available for $299.99 before an additional $100 mail-in rebate for customers in standard US Cellular coverage areas, bringing the total to $199.99.

Customers who live in markets covered by U.S. Cellular’s nascent 4G LTE network can get the phone for $199.99 before the same $100 mail-in rebate, bringing the total to $99.99 and representing a deeper subsidy for those customers that live in LTE coverage areas.

U.S. Cellular currently provides 4G LTE service in select cities in Iowa, Maine, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wisconsin. It should be noted that the Aviator is the US Cellular variant of the Samsung Droid Charge offered by Verizon Wireless.

While the idea of offering deeper phone subsidies depending on location isn’t new, this is the first time that a carrier has used the concept in order to foster faster adoption of its new network and service, as US Cellular only recently launched its LTE network with the launch of the LTE version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet.