Verizon says it will have a Samsung 5G smartphone in early 2019
The 5G future continues to take shape with each passing day, and it took another big step toward reality Monday.
In a joint announcement, Verizon and Samsung said they will be working together to release a 5G smartphone in the “first half of 2019,” giving the wireless carrier its second
5G phone for its yet-to-launch network. The first phone, Motorola’s Z3, already is on sale, and users will be able to upgrade to 5G through a forthcoming accessory. Samsung’s phone, meanwhile, will have
5G built-in.
Verizon currently has a 5G network live in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento, California, but that is designed as more of a home broadband alternative. The company’s mobile 5G network, the more traditional network that phones will be able to tap into, is slated to launch early next year.
Not much is known about the Samsung device, though it will be powered by Qualcomm’s “flagship Snapdragon Mobile Platform” to connect to the newer, faster network. Given that the announcement coincides with Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui, Hawaii, this week, it is possible more details on the processor and modem will be revealed there.
Samsung traditionally introduces new Galaxy S phones in the spring, making it possible the 5G phone will be a variation of the expected Galaxy S10. A Bloomberg report in October said both companies were working on a
5G Galaxy S10 for Verizon’s network.
By introducing a 5G phone next year, Samsung also would gain a leg up on Apple, which may be waiting until
2020 to release its first 5G iPhones. A separate Bloomberg report on Monday said Apple plans to wait the extra year, something the company has done with the launch of
3G and 4G in order to let carriers build out their networks and other manufacturers work out early kinks before it adds the new technology to its products.