Nokia N95 in the US 2Q but will it have 3G?

Nokia_n95

We already knew that the Nokia N95 is shipping in select markets and now Brighthand has confirmation that the U.S. will see the multimedia smartphone as early as the second quarter of this year. According to a Nokia spokesperson, the device will run between $500 and $600, which we generally expected. Aside from the killer specifications of this high-end device, I’m mainly concerned with the Nokia statement about the 3G capabilities: the N95 initially sold in the US "will be the global variant that supports 2100 MHz UMTS and not the US 3G bands".

That’s not good news when you’re paying two to three times what a 3G-capable smartphone currently runs. However, I’m wondering aloud here: isn’t 2100 MHz one of the two frequency ranges that T-Mobile purchased via auction for their expected 3G rollout? Again, just thinking out loud since I’m new to the GSM / UMTS scene; I’m hoping many of the "smarter than me" readers will chime in with thoughts, clarifications and impacts, especially if the phone isn’t compatible with the US 2100 MHz spectrum. If the N95 won’t support 3G in the US, would you still buy it?

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