Verizon aims for 5G Samsung smartphone launch in first half of 2019
Smartphone users in the United States will be able to use Verizon's 5G wireless network in the first half 2019 starting with Samsung devices, the carrier has announced, a move that means the main rival to Apple in the market will have a headstart on the iPhone in offering the high-speed connection to consumers.
Verizon and Samsung will be revealing a "proof of concept" device during the annual Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit later this week, the carrier confirmed. The device itself, while not described, will use Qualcomm components at its core, including the Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem and antenna modules, integrated RF transceiver, and other elements of the chip producer's Snapdragon Mobile Platform.
It is expected Verizon's 5G mobile network will become fully usable by smartphones and mobile devices in early 2019 and will expand at a fast pace. In order to allow consumers to use the new connectivity, Samsung has partnered with Samsung to create a smartphone that will work on the Verizon network at 5G speeds, most likely using Qualcomm's modems, shipping in the first half of 2019.
There is no mention of potential models or if it will be a premium device, but the suggestion of it being during the first half of the year rules out the flagship Note brand straight away. While it could cover the Galaxy S-series device launches, which typically launch in February or March, it is entirely possible the 2019 models could ship without 5G, and for a carrier-specific model to be produced with the support included.
As with other changes in mobile technology, the shift to 5G promises more bandwidth and faster connections across a cellular network. In the case of 5G, it is anticipated to offer speeds multiple times faster than current 4G LTE connections.
Verizon has already launched its first commercial 5G service in October, with its 5G Home offering cellular-based broadband in four markets. As it uses Verizon's own "proprietary 5G standard" for 5G Home, it is highly unlikely for the service's connectivity to be compatible with any 5G devices that are released in the future using an agreed industry standard version of 5G.
The announcement follows reports suggesting Apple will not be among the first smartphone producers to offer 5G connections on their devices. One report earlier today suggests Apple may not include 5G in its 2019 devices, leaving consumers waiting until 2020 for the first 5G-compatible iPhones to ship.
Verizon and Samsung will be revealing a "proof of concept" device during the annual Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit later this week, the carrier confirmed. The device itself, while not described, will use Qualcomm components at its core, including the Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem and antenna modules, integrated RF transceiver, and other elements of the chip producer's Snapdragon Mobile Platform.
It is expected Verizon's 5G mobile network will become fully usable by smartphones and mobile devices in early 2019 and will expand at a fast pace. In order to allow consumers to use the new connectivity, Samsung has partnered with Samsung to create a smartphone that will work on the Verizon network at 5G speeds, most likely using Qualcomm's modems, shipping in the first half of 2019.
There is no mention of potential models or if it will be a premium device, but the suggestion of it being during the first half of the year rules out the flagship Note brand straight away. While it could cover the Galaxy S-series device launches, which typically launch in February or March, it is entirely possible the 2019 models could ship without 5G, and for a carrier-specific model to be produced with the support included.
As with other changes in mobile technology, the shift to 5G promises more bandwidth and faster connections across a cellular network. In the case of 5G, it is anticipated to offer speeds multiple times faster than current 4G LTE connections.
Verizon has already launched its first commercial 5G service in October, with its 5G Home offering cellular-based broadband in four markets. As it uses Verizon's own "proprietary 5G standard" for 5G Home, it is highly unlikely for the service's connectivity to be compatible with any 5G devices that are released in the future using an agreed industry standard version of 5G.
The announcement follows reports suggesting Apple will not be among the first smartphone producers to offer 5G connections on their devices. One report earlier today suggests Apple may not include 5G in its 2019 devices, leaving consumers waiting until 2020 for the first 5G-compatible iPhones to ship.
Comments
Just my two cents. Don’t know enough about 5G to know if it will have any impact on this, particularly in less urban settings.
I didn't see it mentioned in the article, but the reason Apple is currently predicted to not have 5G next year is due to intel not having modems ready until 2020. Although, I just read an articled(don't remember where) that they expected Apple and Qualcomm to reach a settlement soon. It will be interesting to see if they do reach a settlement if maybe the top tier 2019 iPhone would use a snapdragon modem with the R model using an Intel modem. I don't think Apple will want to move completely away from Intel if for no other reason than retaining some negotiating leverage.
*Edit: Went looking for the article I thought I had read, came up with the exact opposite, so likely no Snapdragon modem next year unless something drastically changes
As this is not the stand-alone version, a lot of marketing will be needed to sway adoption of new plans but that can only happen if there are phones available to take advantage of the technology.
Only those who have coverage will be interested, of course but the roll out might prove faster than we imagine in some markets.
It might not be the best anology, but in some ways I see it like when 'HD Ready' began appearing on TVs. Then followed by the real thing, FullHD.
Smartwatches? Were they first with the smart watch? Dunno. Probably not.
2) Even if it isn't available in your area right now, unless you live out in the sticks somewhere, it probably will be during the life of your phone.
So, why sink a thousand or so into a soon to be obsolete phone?
Rather it's "How long do I intend to keep this phone I'm buying today?" And, by extension: "Will I want to keep it after it is locked into an obsolete technology?"
2) As far as network technology being available sometime during the life of a phone, well... there are still people using the iPhone 4 and 4S. The numbers are becoming impossibly small, but they are still out there.
With every US carrier, and Apple itself, offering annual upgrade programs, fewer and fewer people are keeping phones much longer than a year. Not having 5G compatibility won’t make it “obsolete” anytime soon, as current LTE will be around for several years to come. Considering I often see speeds on Verizon over 100Mbps on LTE with my iPhone XS Max in my city, many people won’t complain about current LTE speeds. If anything, when more and more people start using 5G, it’ll free up congestion on LTE, meaning even better performance.
Oh, and Apple not supporting the newest cellular standards never slowed iPhone sales. First generation LTE chipsets were huge, and extremely power hungry. That’s a primary reason Apple held off on adoption, as it waited for the 2nd generation chipsets. The need for space and power is partly what created the trend for larger phones in the first place. The iPhone 5 had better LTE performance and battery life than any other phone on the market, and it was much smaller with a smaller battery.
Hopefully Apple doesn't wait till you get 5G to add it to their phones -- we'll all be using Samsungs by then.
I have yet to see anyone explain how 5G will truly benefit the average cell phone user over existing 4G/LTE technology. 'low latency?' I'm not gaming on my phone and the network is the bottleneck. Faster speed? LTE is plenty fast enough. Replace my home broadband? It's going to be several years before my house in the suburbs of Mpls has 5G, and then the signals don't penetrate buildings well anyway so I'd have to get an antenna outside my house. Meaning 5G on my cell phone 5G would be useless.
If I get an iPhone Xs today, it will work just as well on all the 4G towers i 3 years as it does now. If I get 50% 4G signal, it's more than fast enough for me, so I have a hard time understanding how it would be considered obsolete.
Plus, when LTE rolled out people kept a phone 2 years. It was rare to keep one longer. Today that is no longer true. If I'm paying top dollar (well over $1K) for a smart phone I'm thinking 3-5 years down the road.
This is a business decision rather than a technical limitation.
This is one I read about years ago related to salmon farming. The idea being that a 5G equiped sensor for lice could be placed on each fish to track infestations in real time.
Another more mundane use is in logistics. For example there are plans for the port of Barcelona to go 5G for container logistics.