[citation][nom]otacon72[/nom]Makes it even more ridiculous why it doesn't have LTE. Releasing a smartphone without LTE is just stupid....even the iPhone has it now.[/citation]
Actually, LTE is still a pretty new technology. Aside from major population centers, there are few areas that actually see any sort of coverage. For instance, Fort Myers in Florida is said to have LTE coverage for Verizon, but most of the time you will only be able to get a 3G signal.
See also:
http://network4g.verizonwireless.com/#/coverage
Note that the Green dots are the only areas with 4G. Verizon is also the largest LTE network in the US.
Not to mention the fact that current LTE designs guzzle battery power. It will be another few years before LTE is operating at the same power as 3G solutions like CDMA. Many manufacturers have even tried working around this by limiting LTE usage to more data intensive activities.
In the meantime, phones can be produced cheaper without the extra radio, and consumers can pick up very good smartphones for less than their LTE brethren. Or better yet, the cost saved on not having an LTE radio can be used to add more storage or a faster processor.