Smartphone makers are intent on making 2019 the year of 5G. Carriers have already begun rolling out their 5G networks in various cities and manufacturers have plans to have 5G smartphones on the market in the coming months.
Qualcomm is at the helm of many 5G enhancements, having announced at the 4G5G Summit on Monday, partnerships with 18 carriers to enable 5G networks worldwide.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X50 5G modem is also set to run in a number of upcoming smartphones. The silicon maker announced that at least 19 5G enabled devices will release in 2019, with two of them at the premium tier.
Among the manufacturers slated to release 5G devices in 2019 are Asus, HMD Global, LG, HTC, Motorola, Nokia, OnePlus, OPPO, Sony, Vivo, and Xiaomi. Reports indicate there will be one 5G flagship announced earlier in the year and one announced later in the year.
OnePlus leading the pack?
There is already speculation that one of the 5G flagships may come from Chinese startup, OnePlus. OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei confirmed at the 4G5G Summit that the manufacturer will be among the first to announce a 5G device in 2019. Perhaps the early-year 5G flagship will be the successor to the soon to launch OnePlus 6T.
LG Vs. Samsung
PCMag noted LG and Samsung often announce devices in February timeframe, during Mobile World Congress. LG may be a good candidate to launch a 5G flagship in early 2018. LG is known to refresh its G series line between February and May, with the next device likely being the LG G8.
Rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S10 have begun picking up, with the manufacturer expected to have special features on board for the tenth anniversary of the Galaxy S line. However, Samsung may focus on new display technology as the highlight feature for its upcoming devices.
Though Qualcomm didn’t name Samsung as one of its hardware partners, the manufacturer spoke at the 4G5G summit about their 5G networking partnership. Samsung typically splits its component supply between Qualcomm and its own silicon, so it is likely there may be a Qualcomm 5G powered device from Samsung at some point.
Don’t forget about Moto
Motorola released the Moto Z3 in August as the first 5G smartphone, with its 5G enabling Moto Mod set to release in January 2019. The Moto Z3 is not a flagship tier device, but with the company already having already dipped its toe in the 5G hardware space, Motorola could also be in the running to release one of the premium tier 5G devices.
