Smartphone manufacturers ready to roll out 5G handsets ahead of first networks’ launch in 2019
Early adopters of 5G phones will get access to a data superhighway all to themselves, promising not just lightning fast high-resolution downloads but instant connections; the shopping experience will be revolutionised too
At the show Qualcomm, the maker of the Snapdragon chip sets that enable most of the flagship Android smartphones on the market, demonstrated its X50 chip in a modem capable of downloading at a speed of 4.51 gigabits per second (gbps).
The X50 is ready to be put into 5G phones, and Qualcomm has already signed up handset makers Xiaomi, LG, Sony Mobile, HTC, OnePlus and HMD Global, which makes Nokia phones.
Here’s how 5G is going to change your life
Meanwhile, Richard Yu, chief executive of Huawei’s consumer business, used a keynote speech to unveil the 5G-ready Balong 5G01 chip exclusively for use in Huawei 5G devices. He said Huawei would launch its first 5G phone in the second half of this year.
“South Korea, Australia and Japan will be in the first wave of operators with 5G networks in early 2019, with China Mobile the latter half of 2019,” says Sherif Hanna, director of product marketing for 4G/5G modems at Qualcomm.