Smartphone manufacturers are gearing up to bombard us with their first 5G offerings in just a few weeks. LG and Huawei, in particular, are slated to officially showcase their first 5G smartphones at MWC 2019 in late February.
LG is set to announce the long-rumored LG G8 on February 24 in Barcelona, but we may also see the LG V50 ThinQ unveil as one the first 5G smartphones on the market. This claim is strictly in the realm of rumors at this point, but XDA developers noted that LG may be planning to release its 5G smartphone sooner rather than later to beat the onslaught of 5G devices expected in 2019.
There currently aren’t many details about the LG V50 ThinQ, except that it will likely run the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip and feature a 4,000mAH battery. The device is expected to sell for between 1.3 million and 1.5 million Korean Won, according to the Korean publication, ETNEws. This equates to about $1,162 and $1,342. The device will likely also see availability in the U.S., considering the prior LG V40, LG V30, and other V-series flagships have also sold stateside. With U.S. carriers working to prepare their 5G infrastructure, the LG V50 ThinQ could be available through several vendors.
Meanwhile, Huawei has teased that it will asl announce a foldable 5G smartphone on February 24. The manufacturer revealed during a recent MWC pre-briefing in Beijing that the device will be the first on the market to be both a 5G phone and a foldable phone. Further details about the smartphone remain unclear but
If accurate, Huawei’s foldable smartphone design may be similar to the Royale Flexpai device that released in December 2018. The device can lay flat like a tablet but can also fold outward, allowing the handset to have two screens on either side. Press materials and leaked renders suggest that both sides of the device would be functional in its folded state. Users may also be able to stand the device up in a tent fashion, ideally for consuming video media.
LG and Huawei may not be the only manufacturers announcing 5G and foldable phones at or around MWC 2019. Samsung showcased its 5G smartphone prototype at CES 2019 in January and also recently teased its foldable smartphone in a commercial, showing a design similar to the prototype the company showcased at its developers’ conference in November 2018. Samsung is hosting a launch event on February 20, but will likely also have a press conference in Barcelona to share further details about its 2019 devices.
Other companies expected to showcase various new mobile technology include Xiaomi, Motorola, and Oppo. Xiaomi has publicly teased its foldable phone, while patent renders of the Motorola foldable phone have leaked in recent weeks, and Oppo executives have confirmed that the brand plans to unveil a foldable device in February. Whether these devices will run 5G is not known.
