Recently, we reported that OPPO will be launching a dual-band 5G smartphone in partnership with Qualcomm by the end of this year. Now, the company has confirmed through a post on Weibo that its first smartphone with dual-band 5G support will be launched in December this year.
The announcement from OPPO comes just after the three major network operators in China officially launched 5G services in the country and revealed their packages. OPPO says that it will launch the 5G smartphone with an aim to accelerate the adoption of 5G technology.
For those who are unaware, dual-mode 5G refers to Standalone (SA) and Non-standalone (NSA) modes. While the SA configuration relies on the 5G spectrum for data transfer and signalling without a pre-existing LTE network, an NSA configuration relies extensively on the LTE band for all communications held between servers and consecutive cellphone towers. This enhances the 5G bandwidth while utilising existing LTE networks, reducing the overall cost of operation.
Currently, there’s no official confirmation from OPPO regarding the specifications of the upcoming smartphone apart from the dual-band 5G compliance. Rumors indicate that the device will be powered by the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 7250 SoC, which is slated to be the first mid-range dual-band 5G processor in its portfolio.
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It is also reported that OPPO is planning to introduce 5G variants of every flagship and mid-range smartphones in their lineup by 2020. According to Shen Jia, OPPO’s 5G expert, the Chinese tech giants will offer 5G capability to all devices priced above CNY 3,000 (~$421). The company has reportedly set aside a budget of CNY 10 billion (~$1.4 billion) for Research and Development purposes.
With Qualcomm finally introducing their first chipset with an integrated 5G modem, OPPO was quick to announce plan of launching the first smartphone with the upcoming SoC. The Snapdragon 6, 7 and 8-series is also expected to get a fresh lease of life with the addition of the 5G modem, covering the requirement for both flagship and mid-range smartphones.
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