TECH

The 5G will arrive in 2019, but which will be the "first 5G smartphone in the world"?

The 5G promises to change the paradigm of technology in the future, be it autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, smart homes and cities, IoT devices, and many areas touched by technology. Obviously the speed of the internet will be the "fuel" for everything to work, and in this case can reach 20 Gbps, ensuring greater coverage, up to 500 kilometers, and a latency of 1 ms. Not to mention the possibility of having about one million smartphones connected per square kilometer.In Portugal already test 5G next to 1.5 Gbps and the operators are in the front line to take advantage of the technology, being able to be Aveiro the first city to guarantee coverage.With regard to smartphones, what manufacturers and devices have already promised to get ahead of the next generation? Several companies have already expressed interest in the 5G and different models prepared for advent may be released already next year. It remains to be seen who will receive the title of "the first 5G smartphone in the market".Huawei has been one of the manufacturers to express interest not only to be among the first, but also to help in the foundations of 5G technology. In Italy, for example, the city of Bari, thanks to its technology, was the first to receive a 5G base, based on the standard for commercial use, promising coverage in the city by the end of the year. This is one of the examples of the commitment of the Chinese manufacturer with the technology, noting that since 2009 already invested 600 million dollars in the 5G.As smartphone proposals, the manufacturer has not yet shown its all cards, initially hoping that the next generation of Mate, scheduled for the first half of 2019 is the flagship of the company, if the explosion of smartphones do not arrive first. It was Richard Yu, Huawei's CEO who revealed during the Mate 20 Pro launch event that would be working on 5G folding phones that could be one of the stars of Mobile World Congress next year. Honor, a subsidiary of Huawei, may also launch a modified version of Magic 2 prepared for the new mobile generation.
Samsung is also a potential candidate to position itself in the fifth generation, especially for its leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, and has announced the manufacture of the 7 nanometer chips, which will be the basis of 5G equipment. The circuits will occupy less 40% of surface and consume less than the current of 10nm.Regarding equipment, the Galaxy S10 family will have in its top model, the representative for the entry of the South Korean manufacturer in the 5G. Although they are rumors, these almost always match with the manufacturer's official announcements. Again, the equipment may come up during the next MWC.It is known that LG likes a good technological challenge, and the title of being the "first to launch a 5G" could happen at least in the United States thanks to a partnership with Sprint, according to the Android Authority, and will be supported by the new Qualcomm chip and X50 modem. There is still no smartphone advertised, but experts point to an LG G7 adapted model, or the introduction of an eventual G8.The mobile business of Sony has seen better days, but the Japanese giant has not yet sent the towel to the ground and is in the group of manufacturers that will use the new chip from Qualcomm. Obviously, in addition to the mobile devices, the company needs to get into the 5G boat to power the streaming of its catalog of movies and video games on the PlayStation 4, because users are still waiting for the PlayStation Now service to operate 100%. As for equipment, nothing concrete, but there is much talk about a possible PlayStation Phone, which could well be a "rebrand" of its Xperia line, given the features it has been borrowing from its home console.
Lenovo, according to its CEO Chang Cheng will also be "the first in the world" to launch a 5G smartphone, debuting the new Snapdragon 855 chip, which has been in production since June. The revelation of a model? For now there is the intention and the promise that there should be great news in the next MWC. The manufacturer is also preparing one of the models of its subsidiary Motorola for the 5G: the Moto Z3, launched in the summer. This is a modeling device compatible with the 5G module planned for next year. The smartphone may, however, be outdated at the time, paving the way for the eventual Moto Z4, which is in production with the Odin code name. This new flagship of the manufacturer should have the new processor Snapdragon 855.Nokia, or better, HDM Global is also on the list of companies to start in 2019 the manufacture of 5G devices with the new Qualcomm chip and the X50 modem. Nokia has a very important position in fifth-generation infrastructures, having recently obtained EUR 500 million in financing from the European Investment Bank.Xiaomi launched Mi Mix 3 in October, promising a version with 5G support in early 2019, joining, of course, the fate of the first fifth-generation device on the market. As a curiosity, it is the only concrete model announced with 5G. And the war in China is on, with other rival manufacturers promising to have a say. OnePlus also partners with Qualcomm and plans to announce plans for 5G earlier this year. It may be an altered version of OnePlus 7, or another new product to be developed.Oppo is already preparing for a techy 2019 giggle. It will also be the "first to launch a 5G smartphone," claiming to have been the first manufacturer to connect to a 5G network through a smartphone, using a modified version of the Oppo R15, as this photograph demonstrates. And you still want to put a few cherries on top, such as 10 GB of RAM and 250 GB of internal storage of the Oppo Find X and get into the racing of the foldable smartphones.
Vivo is also already testing 5G with modified versions of its equipment, in this case Vivo Nex, equipped with a Qualcomm X50 modem. The concrete difference in their plans is that "will not be the first manufacturer" to launch a 5G ...HTC is also among the restricted group of manufacturers to take advantage of Qualcomm's new chip and test the X50 modem. The company did not announce a specific equipment, but it needs a viable solution, because it continues to lose its breath in a market where it already gave letters. The strategy of the manufacturer may, however, remain tied to the virtual reality and benefit from 5G in future Vive equipment.ZTE may be left behind on the 5G train, given the United States' ban on the Chinese group buying US components over the next seven years. And in this case, prevent access to Qualcomm technology. However, the Chinese technology may be building its own 5G solution, scheduled for late 2019, according to the Android Authority.While the launch of smartphones to keep pace with technology trends is not exactly Google's strategy, an eventual 5G-supported Pixel 4 would only fit the Mountain View giant. Even if you do not have an equipment, the company will definitely want to demonstrate its services and technologies based on artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud computing, and 5G will be key in the process.Finally, there are still other manufacturers who can see the 5G as an unmissable opportunity for gaming. New Razer Phone and Asus ROG Phone entries can enter the market, which could benefit from 5G's fast connections to deliver on demand streaming games. What in practice could benefit any manufacturer, since the processing of the games is done in the cloud ...Certainly it will be possible to know more news about smartphones and 5G devices in the next edition of CES, which is already taking place on January 8 and 12 in Las Vegas, and later at the World Mobile Congress and Barcelona between 25-28 February. Only then will we probably know who is the "first manufacturer in the world" to launch a 5G smartphone.


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