Verizon and Samsung have announced that they’ll be collaborating on a 5G smartphone for Big Red’s network in the first half of 2019, which will most likely be the second 5G capable device on their network behind the Moto Z3. You won’t have to wait until next year to see it, though, as both companies plan on showing it off alongside Qualcomm at their annual event in Hawaii this year.
It’s a proof of concept phone right now, but it’s using the latest and greatest hardware and modems from Qualcomm to enable the next-generation connectivity.
Verizon has already started rolling out their 5G network across the country, albeit pretty slowly, but once big name manufacturers like Samsung jump on board it’s almost guaranteed to really get the ball rolling, like what happened with 4G LTE. It also means that we’ll probably start seeing other companies, like LG and HTC, develop 5G solutions sooner rather than later. Apple will probably have 5G in an iPhone sometime in 2022.
Keep an eye out for news about this device this month, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated when Verizon and Samsung show it off. Samsung is rumored to launch a 5G version of the Galaxy S10 next year exclusively in South Korea, at least according to rumors, so there’s certainly a chance that whatever phone this is ends up being some S10 variant or early prototype. I wouldn’t put any money on it, but we can hope.