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Take a quick look at the signal area of your phone. Have you noticed a new icon in the signal area? That's the 5G signal replacing the old LTE. Nowadays, it doesn't matter if you have the latest smartphone or a budget-friendly Android. You're probably in the 5G club.
Verizon's 5G network passed its Super Bowl test with flying colors
The telecom giant was prepared to handle the concentrated surge in Las Vegas
If you’ve ever attended an event with hundreds of other people nearby, you probably experienced a dip in mobile connectivity. With everyone toting a device connected to the same airwaves, it can quickly become challenging to reach the outside world with your phone. The Super Bowl, which was hosted in Las Vegas, is one example of such an event where communication snags could’ve run rampant — but Verizon says it was able to mitigate the traffic for its customers.
MediaTek has finally revealed its first mmWave-compatible 5G modem. Though the technology is most popular here in the 'States (where it's also kinda useless), carriers continue to champion its incredible speeds while conveniently overlooking its many limitations. But soon, you'll be able to enjoy losing that super-fast connection when you cross the street on a MediaTek phone, too.
The unlocked Galaxy S21 series supports all 5G networks in the US
Worrying about whether or not an unlocked Samsung phone will work on your carrier is a thing of the past
The Samsung Galaxy S21 is continuing a trend that other 5G phones before it already started: It's compatible with all 5G networks from all US carriers, and it even supports some technologies that are yet to be deployed. You won't have to worry about carrier interoperability when you buy an unlocked S21 in the US — they work on all carriers.
HMD Global has been one of the leaders in budget Android phones for a while now, using the Nokia brand to sell a wide variety of devices. The Nokia 9 PureView was the company's first shot a flagship phone, but it had a few issues and was only available unlocked. HMD has now returned with a new high-end option: the Nokia 8 V 5G UW.
Last week, speculation started swirling about a Verizon variant of the Nokia 8.3 5G. HMD Global, maker of Nokia-branded Android devices, later released a teaser about a special product launch. Now the phone is official, carrying the distinction of being the first Nokia flagship phone on a major US carrier since the Windows Phone days.
The Motorola One 5G UW is the latest Verizon phone with an inflated price thanks to mmWave
This time mmWave will cost you $105 extra
Earlier this year, Motorola launched the Motorola One 5G internationally, and we all thought it looked like a nifty phone that we'd like to see in the US. Motorola obliged and even said it would offer the device for under $500. The AT&T version launched some weeks back for $444.99, but Verizon isn't bound by Moto's promise. Big Red just unveiled the Motorola One 5G UW, and wouldn't you know it, it's priced at $550.
mmWave 5G is facing more uncertainty than ever
A double-gut-punch of pricey phones and a faltering economy threaten the march of 5G progress
Millimeter wave 5G hasn't had an easy time of it, as a technology. It's been panned for fickle connectivity, extremely limited coverage, and being too thinly-deployed to even meaningfully use (not to mention the absolute nonsense conspiracies some people are spreading about it). It doesn't help that mmWave only has one truly active booster in the United States—Verizon. The company says its existing plans for 5G mmWave deployments around the country haven't changed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the current crisis raises a valid question: if we won't be gathering in large groups for the foreseeable future—let alone in stadiums or concert halls—does mobile mmWave even make sense anymore, and did it ever?
Verizon's OnePlus 8 isn't compatible with regular OnePlus 8 cases
The volume rocker is in a different spot — blame mmWave
We already knew that the Verizon version of the OnePlus 8 was unique in having mmWave support, when the unlocked version of the phone doesn't, but it turns out that's not the only hardware difference. The Verizon OnePlus 8 also puts its volume rocker in a slightly lower position, apparently to make room for a mmWave antenna. That means you'll need to make sure cases you buy are made specifically for the Verizon version of the phone.
LG V60 ThinQ Dual Screen review: Low-key flagship with a smart price
Power, performance, and even a secondary display could have you wondering why anyone would pay over a grand for a phone
LG's got a new design language in the works — a fresh take on its phones that's supposed to usher the company into this decade with a clean look and some updated thinking towards flagship hardware. But before we turn the page to that next chapter, we've still got its first big 2020 launch to check out, the 5G-equipped, Dual Screen, 865-packing LG V60 ThinQ.Granted, that's still a pretty steep bill, but compared to a $1,200 Galaxy S20+ or $1,400 S20 Ultra, the V60 stands out with its "mere" three-digit sticker price. We've seen what OnePlus has been able to do and slide in under that thousand-dollar mark — what about LG? Did LG make any serious sacrifices to give us a $900 phone, or is this one of the better flagship deals around? Let's take a look:
AT&T will start rolling out its mmWave 5G network along the S20 launch
The S20+ and S20 Ultra will be the only phones using both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G for now
There are two types of 5G networks: The ultra-fast, 2Gbps mmWave technology most prominently deployed by Verizon, and the barely-faster-than-4G sub-6GHz system that has a much better range and penetration than its faster sibling. AT&T has been offering the latter since late 2019 in a few cities, but it now has announced that it will also open its own mmWave network to the public starting Friday, calling it "5G+."
The 5G phones are finally coming fast and furious. For example, Samsung's newly-announced Galaxy A90 5G brings some of the best of Samsung's smartphone know-how and 5G at a much more palatable price point. There's just one little catch: it's probably not going to be compatible with the majority of 5G networks in the US. And it definitely won't be the last such 5G phone that doesn't end up in the US this year or next as a result.
Most of us have seen the ridiculous, pseudoscientific paranoia being spread about 5G, with charlatans alternately claiming it will cook you from the inside out, that it kills birds, that it's all means to control the weather, or that it's all a part of an elaborate, "deep state" conspiracy for... faster data? Well, it turns out, there may be at least one unanticipated, unintuitive side effect that mmWave 5G can have: it could mess up the accuracy of weather forecasts.
This is promising for carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, both of which plan to use mmWave for early 5G deployments. Qualcomm states that the antenna modules, which pair with its X50 modem, support up to 800Mhz of bandwidth in the 26.5-29.5GHz; 27.5-28.35GHz; and 37-40GHz mmWave bands.
In the ongoing battle to be at the forefront of 5G, Samsung has shot into a prominent position with the Exynos Modem 5100. The electronics company and chipset manufacturer today revealed a mobile modem built to the newest 3GPP-official 5G standards that features not only 5G functionality (using both sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrum), but also support for legacy wireless technology from 4G LTE all the way back to 2G GSM/CDMA.
T-Mobile has announced that it's partnered with Nokia to build its 5G mobile network. The carrier will pay Nokia $3.5 billion for "its complete end-to-end 5G technology, software and services portfolio." T-Mobile called the agreement a multiyear deal, but doesn't go into specifics, saying only that the two companies will work together "in the critical first years of the 5G cycle."
It seems like 5G is one of those things that's perpetually sitting out on the horizon in tech news, but today Qualcomm took a decent step forward when it comes to a particular implementation. One of the carriers' more ambitious 5G solutions is to harness the high-frequency millimeter wave (mmWave) bands, which promise high bandwidth and low congestion, at the cost of limited coverage and some practicality concerns. But with Qualcomm's recently announced mmWave antennas, some of the issues related to it may be overcome.
AT&T announced today that they're going to acquire Straight Path Communications, a holder of a number of millimeter wave spectrum licenses in the US for $1.6 billion. This brings them one step closer to realizing their AirGig plans for last-mile data infrastructure.