Verizon, Samsung Prep 5G Smartphone For Launch In First Half Of 2019

Verizon and Samsung Electronics are working to bring 5G-ready smartphones in the United States as early as the first half of 2019.

The telecommunications company announced on Monday that it is planning to bring the first commercial 5G smartphones to the American market in collaboration with Samsung.

The two companies are set to unveil a proof of concept at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui this week. The proof of concept will be powered by the upcoming flagship Snapdragon SoC and the Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem and antenna modules. It will also feature integrated RF transceiver as well as RF front-end and antenna elements.

“5G will usher in a new era of mobile connectivity, allowing people to connect to data, experiences and other people in ways never thought possible,” Verizon’s vice president of wireless device and product marketing Brian Higgins said.

“Together, Samsung and Verizon have made huge gains in bringing 5G commercial services to consumers in several cities. Now, we’re partnering to create a smartphone to put the power of 5G in the palm of your hand.”

Verizon intends to make its 5G network fully usable by mobile devices in early 2019, so it has partnered with Samsung to create a 5G-ready smartphone that will work with it.

Both Verizon and Samsung did not name the smartphone model that would be 5G-capable, but it is expected to be a premium device. Since the planned launch is set to happen in the first half, AppleInsider is looking at the Galaxy S-series devices.

Samsung is rumored to be preparing four variants of the Galaxy S10. No official information on the models was disclosed so far. However, it’s possible that all models could ship without 5G capability and Verizon could launch a carrier-specific model that would work with its 5G network.

As with previous generations of mobile technology, the switch to 5G promises more bandwidth and faster data speeds. Since Samsung already partnered with Verizon on the latter’s 5G Home offering early this year, it’s inevitable for the South Korean brand to move forward with Verizon as the 5G mobile network era draws near.

“Samsung offers end-to-end solutions that are accelerating the wide scale adoption of 5G and help us realize our vision of truly connected living,” senior vice president of mobile product strategy and marketing at Samsung Electronics Justin Denison said.

“We’re proud to work alongside innovative partners like Verizon and Qualcomm Technologies to deliver a smartphone that will fundamentally transform how people work and play,” Denison added.