But does 4G/LTE really matter to the average smartphone user?

Last year, I would have answered "No, not really." In fact, back in November 2011. But after using a few different LTE devices for a number of months, I changed my mind, and there's no turning back now. I'll explain why, but first I want to clear up some confusion.

Not all 4G is created equal. For example, carriers including AT&T and T-Mobile call their HSPA+ networks "4G." I tend to think of HSPA+ as "faux G" or 3.5G, which is faster than HSPA and EDGE, but not nearly as fast as LTE. Then there's WiMax, which is technically true 4G, but it still isn't as reliable or as fast as LTE. WiMax coverage in the United States is also much more limited than LTE coverage.

The majority of major U.S. wireless carriers now have LTE networks, but individual LTE-network coverage varies widely by geographic area. And data speeds can also be very different depending on your location. (T-Mobile is the only major U.S. carrier without an LTE network; the company says it will launch its LTE network in 2013.)

For this article, I'm referring to the benefits of LTE 4G. I live in the Boston area, and I'm lucky enough to have relatively widespread AT&T and Verizon Wireless LTE coverageI'm not a Sprint customer, so I'm not familiar with Sprint's LTE in Boston. On average, I see AT&T and Verizon download speeds of more than 20 Mbps and sometimes up to 40 Mbps. And I get average uploads between 5 Mbps and 20 Mbps. For context, these data speeds are at least three to four times faster than the average HSPA+ speeds I see on AT&T and T-Mobile.