All the 5G phones announced so far

“5G is here” was the straightforward claim plastered all over Qualcomm’s booth at this year’s Mobile World Congress. But while that might be true for the chipmaker, the reality is far more complicated. Carriers are still in the process of upgrading their networks ready for the launch of consumer-ready 5G services, and even then the proportion of areas covered will be slim.

Although they won’t be ready for a little while longer, phone manufacturers have wasted no time in announcing 5G devices at this year’s MWC. Huawei, LG, Samsung, Xiaomi, and ZTE introduced their own 5G handsets that are complete with vague release dates, while Sony, Oppo, and OnePlus had earlier prototype devices on display.

Whether or not these devices are a viable purchase will depend a great deal on when your local area is due to be upgraded to 5G. In the US, Sprint is launching its 5G services as early as this May, while T-Mobile and Verizon have said they’re launching 5G services by the end of the year. Meanwhile, AT&T’s 5G network technically launched late last year, although it will be a while longer before you can actually use it, regardless of what those misleading “5G E” logos might has lead you to believe.

Uncertainty around exactly when these 5G services will be available hasn’t stopped manufacturers from getting ahead of the curve and announcing their 5G devices. Here are the biggest 5G phone announcements from MWC, ranked based on how much information we’ve been given about them.

Huawei Mate X

The Mate X’s foldable design is undoubtedly the most eye-catching thing about the device – so much so that it’s almost easy to overlook the fact that this is the first 5G device to have been announced by the third-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world. 5G connectivity is provided via Huawei’s own Balong 5000 5G modem rather than the Qualcomm models favored by most of the devices on this list, and it’s compatible with both mmWave and sub-6GHz spectrum.

The Huawei Mate X sits at the top of this list because it has two things that every other 5G device announced at the show lacks; a release month and price. Huawei has said that the phone will be released in June of this year, at a price of €2,299 ($2,600).

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 is part of a trend that we’re already seeing a lot of, where a phone takes an existing handset and produces a 5G variant. Here, the original non-5G device was announced last year in October, and features a full screen 6.4-inch 1080p OLED display and a back that slides upwards to reveal its front-facing camera.

Outside of its 5G connectivity, the single biggest change is its processor, which has been upgraded from a Snapdragon 845 to an 855.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 will be available in May 2019 for €599 ($679).

LG V50 ThinQ

Like Xiaomi’s phone, the LG V50 ThinQ a 5G version of one of LG’s existing phones — the V40. You can tell it’s the 5G version because it literally has a glowing 5G logo on its rear.

Outside of its 5G connectivity there are a couple other differences between the V50 and its predecessor, including a larger 4,000mAh battery and faster Snapdragon 855 processor. It’s also a little bulkier, presumably to fit in its larger 5G antennas.

LG says that the V50 will be ready for release by the end of March, but adds that its actual release will come whenever its first carrier partners’ 5G networks are ready for it in the coming months. In the US, the company has said that the phone will launch exclusively on Sprint. Pricing is yet to be announced.

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G

Samsung likes to be one of the first to embrace new technologies, so it’s no surprise that it’s also got a 5G handset on the way. The Galaxy S10 5G was announced alongside the rest of the S10 lineup last week, and features a larger 6.7-inch display than the rest of the range, as well as a larger 4,500mAh battery, and an extra camera on the front and back for better AR performance.

Unfortunately, presumably because of its larger 5G internal components, the model lacks the microSD card support of the other S10 models.

The Galaxy S10 5G doesn’t yet have a firm release date beyond the first half of 2019, but will be exclusive to Verizon’s network when it first launches. Pricing is also yet to be confirmed.

ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G

Stop me if this is starting to sound a little familiar, but the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G is powered by a Snapdragon 855, with pricing yet to be confirmed, and a release date planned for some point during the first half of 2019. In other words it’s very similar to almost every other 5G prototype on display at this year’s show.

Otherwise, it’s got a 6.47-inch 1080p OLED display with a teardrop notch, 6GB of RAM, and a 4,000 mAh battery.

Alcatel 7 5G

Alcatel is a brand better known for its budget handsets, but surprisingly it too had a 5G prototype on display at this year’s show. The Alcatel 7, not to be confused with the non-5G Alcatel 7 released last year features a 6.5-inch display, a Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB of RAM, and a 4,000mAh battery.

An Alcatel representative I spoke to said that the handset could be released at the end of 2019, but will most likely be a 2020 model. Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but considering the original Alcatel 7 retailed for just $179.99, this could end up being one of the cheaper phones on this list.

OnePlus 5G prototype

At this end of our roundup off MWC’s 5G phones are prototypes without a fixed design or other confirmed features outside of 5G connectivity. This 5G prototype from OnePlus is a good example of this. Encased within a thick plastic case which itself was held safely within a clear plastic cube, the prototype did everything in its power to conceal any of its features beyond its 5G connectivity.

OnePlus used its MWC demonstration to show the handset streaming a game from the cloud-based game streaming service Shadow. Beyond knowing that the phone will come out in the second quarter of this year, we don’t know much else about it. OnePlus is yet to confirm a price, but its CEO recently said that he expects 5G devices to initially cost between $200 and $300 more than their 4G counterparts.

Oppo 5G prototype

Alongside the OnePlus device at Qualcomm’s booth was a 5G prototype device from Oppo, which was also shown gaming content from Shadow. CNET reports that the device is expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 855, and will be equipped with an X50 5G modem.

Oppo hasn’t shared many more details about its first 5G handset beyond its network connectivity. The device on display at Qualcomm’s booth was even concealed within a case that hid any details about its screen. Its release is planned in the second quarter of this year.

Sony 5G prototype

Sony also had a 5G handset of its own to show off at MWC 2019. The device, which Pocket-Lint reports is being referred to internally at Sony as the AG-1, was being demonstrated streaming 4K video content from a nearby base station over mmWave 5G.

A Qualcomm representative confirmed that the prototype was equipped with the company’s X55 modem, and the phone also appeared to have the same ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio screen as the Xperia 1 flagship that was also announced at the show. As expected, Sony didn’t announce any pricing or availability information.

Honorable mention: HTC 5G hub

HTC’s debut 5G product that it announced at the show wasn’t a phone at all. Instead, it was a hybrid of three devices; namely a 5G receiver, an Android entertainment device, and a battery pack. The HTC 5G Hub packs all this into a form-factor that’s very similar to a smart display.

What this means in practice is that you’re getting a 5G hotspot equipped with a screen, and a battery that’s big enough to charge external devices in addition to keeping itself powered. Connectivity is handled by a Snapdragon X50 modem, and content is either displayed on its 5-inch screen, or else outputted to an external display over USB-C.

HTC is yet to announce pricing for the 5G hub, but has said that it expects to release it in spring of this year.

TECH GURU-GH

Links

Recomended Article

16 Top Tips from Blogging Experts for Beginners

Recent Posts