In November of last year NVIDIA and some of its partners around the world released the Tegra Note 7, a 7-in tablet that was powered by NVIDIA's Tegra 4 SoC.  I posted a review of the unit on its launch and found that the Note 7 offered some impressive features including a high quality screen, stylus input and high performance graphics for a cost of just $199.  Users that were looking for a budget priced Android tablet that didn't skimp on features found a perfect home with the Tegra Note 7.

In preparation for Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week, NVIDIA is announcing a new model of the Tegra Note 7 that adds an LTE modem.  The appropriately named Tegra Note 7 LTE still includes the full performance Tegra 4 SoC but adds to it the NVIDIA i500 software LTE modem that enables support for the LTE and HSPA+ bands in the US.  That means you can expect support on AT&T and T-Mobile networks.  This is NOT the Tegra 4i SoC that integrates the i500 controller directly on die; this integration is two distinct chips.

The rest of the specifications of the Tegra Note 7 LTE remain the same as the previous model.  A 7-in 1280×800 resolution screen, front facing stereo speakers, front and rear cameras, chisel and brush tipped stylus and more.  The price of this new model will be $299 and it should be available "in the 2nd quarter."  That is a $100 markup over the current Tegra Note 7 that is WiFi only.  The Google Nexus 7 only has an $80 premium for the LTE-enabled option.

Also announced with the Tegra Note 7 LTE is the availability of the 4.4.2 KitKat Android update for all Tegra Note 7 devices.  Along with the Android OS tweaks and updates you'll get support for the NVIDIA Gamepad Mapper to enable touch-based games to work on an attached controller.

Another solid OS update for existing Tegra Note 7 devices and LTE data support in a new model perk up the NVIDIA tablet line quite a bit.  With MWC kicking into high gear in the next few days I am sure we will see numerous new competitors in this 7-in tablet market though so we'll have to hold judgement on the Note 7's continued placement in the market.