While the Android/iPhone “war” continues in the hearts and minds of smartphone users everywhere, a new CNN report indicates Verizon Wireless employees are pushing the company’s 4G LTE devices over the iPhone. CNN’s David Goldman spoke with ten Verizon sales reps in the New York area, both on phone and via online chat and in all ten conversations he was directed toward the Motorola DROID RAZR, Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX or the LG Lucid. Upon inquiring about the Apple iPhone, all ten reps claimed the device was inferior due to the limited connectivity of 3G only devices.

Goldman attempted to steer reps in the direction of the iPhone by telling half of the 10 reps he was interested in buying a new smartphone, and the other half were told Goldman was specifically interested in the iPhone. In the case of the first 5, he was always directed to the RAZRs or Lucid, in the latter cases he was provided information on the iPhone, but when asked if it was Verizon’s best smartphone, it was always me with “no.”

“The iPhone is a great phone, but it’s on 3G,” said one representative at a Verizon Wireless store in midtown Manhattan. “I’m not going to recommend a phone that’s outdated.”

Are Verizon’s reps being told to push LTE connected devices? A Verizon Wireless spokesman told Goldman:

“Our sales force’s mission is to ensure customers are familiar with our product line and to match the customer with the right device to best meet their needs. At the end of the day, our goal is that every customer is delighted with the device that they have chosen.”

An AT&T rep had a different response about which smartphone to buy. He told Goldman that, “It’s all about the 4S now. The iPhone is the most popular phone, you know what you’re getting, and it’s a status symbol you can’t get anywhere else.”

So what do you think? Are Verizon reps being told to promote 4G LTE or are they simply selling their own idea of the best smartphone?

CNN Money