Reason why AT&T's version of the HTC One X is not quad-core

We now know that the international version of the HTC One X will carry a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor while the AT&T version for the U.S. will not. The latter model will be powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor instead. On the other hand, the international model will have HSPA+ 42Mbps connectivity vs. the 4G LTE support for AT&T's model.

We can imagine that many of those who had been following the HTC One X since its days as the HTC Endeavor had hoped for a U.S. version of the phone, but feel cheated somehow with the AT&T model. Before you start attacking the carrier, AT&T had to deal with a limitation imposed by the use of LTE support. It seems that the NVIDIA Tegra 3 is not compatible with LTE technology. So AT&T had a choice, they could stick with the HSPA+ connectivity that the international version uses, and keep the quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 under the hood, or they could go with LTE connectivity and use a different processor. AT&T, of course, went with the latter.

Despite having its hand forced by a technical issue, many might question AT&T's decision considering the paucity of LTE coverage that the mobile operator  offers at the present time. Not much will change before the phone is launched in the States which is expected within the next 60 days. We are sure that there are some who feel let down and will now look elsewhere for their next upgrade. On the other hand, the specs are still beastly no matter how slice it. Looks like AT&T customers will have as tough a decision to make as their carrier had.

source: SlashGear