Samsung‘s flagship series of smartphones is just around the corner. The 2020 premium grade handsets are expected to be unveiled at Samsung Unpacked event on 11th February 2020 and will bring new features and improvements over its predecessor. One of these improvements will likely be in the camera department as the upcoming series is reported to feature a new Samsung Super ISO technology.
The South Korean tech giant recently applied for a trademark in Great Britain at the UK IPO (Intellectual Property Office) for the name Super ISO. The description of the trademark carries terms for “camera sensor for smartphones; image sensor for video cameras; computer software for processing digital images.” Meaning, that the Galaxy S20 series will feature an improved image sensor.
Image Via LetsGoDigital
The new sensors will be better in terms of light sensitivity range than its previous iterations, the Galaxy S10 which received an ISO range of 50 – 800 and later extended to 3200. According to a known leakster, Ice Universe, it was also revealed that the ISO in the Galaxy S20 will be in the 6400 ISO range which is double in value over its previous iteration.
Higher ISO value translates to a better low light performance from a camera sensor. With values as high as 6400, the sensors become more sensitive and are able to gather more light for capturing an image. The end results are images which are better exposed than lower ISO values and, with a good noise reduction algorithm, can manage to offer better details even in bad lighting conditions as well.
Samsung Galaxy S20
Unfortunately, the exact specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S20 series cameras are unknown. However, it is expected that one device in the series will feature the 108MP primary camera (probably the Galaxy S20 Ultra) alongside a wide angle and ultra wide angle lens. Similarly, a telephoto lens is also expected to make an appearance along with a 3F ToF camera.
POCO will be unveiling the POCO X2 smartphone in India on Feb. 4. The smartphone is most likely coming to country as a renamed version of the Redmi K30. China had received Redmi K30 in 5G and 4G flavors in December. Multiple evidences have suggested that the Redmi K30 4G model is coming to India as POCO X2. The 8 GB RAM variant of the phone was spotted earlier on Geekbench this month. Now, its 6 GB RAM edition has been surfaced on the benchmarking platform.
The Xiaomi POCO X2 phone’s Geekbench screenshot shows that it will be also available in 6 GB RAM version. Recently, Indian publication Hindustan Times had also released a leaked render that carried the key specs and pricing of the POCO X2. It had stated that the phone will be coming in 6 GB RAM edition.
The name of the processor that powers the POCO X2 phone is not mentioned on the Geekbench listing. However, it seems that the 1.80GHz octa-core processor that powers the POCO X2 could be Snapdragon 730G mobile platform. The Redmi K30 4G also features the same SoC. The phone is loaded with Android 10 OS. It scored 547 in the single-core test of Geekbench and it recorded a score of 1757 in the multi-core test.
The leaked poster on the Hindustan Times report had revealed that the 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage edition will be priced at Rs. 18,999. The higher 8 GB RAM edition may come with 128 GB storage. Hopefully, it could be priced lower than Rs. 20,000.
The POCO X2 product pages on POCO India website and Flipkart online retailer site have revealed that it will be coming with a 120Hz refresh rate supporting screen. For heat dissipation, it will be equipped with liquid cooling technology. The phone will carry support for 27W fast charging. It is equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
The Redmi K30 has a 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel dual camera setup in its pill-shaped display cutout. It has a 64-megapixel (Sony IMX686) + 8-megapixel (ultrawide) + 2-megapixe (macro) + 2-megapixel (depth) quad camera setup. The device is backed by a 4,500mAh battery. These specs are also likely to be available on the POCO X2.
LG has recently revealed its financial report for the Q4 of 2019. In the final quarter, the company saw a massive loss as its mobile division continues to deteriorate in the smartphone industry.
According to the report, the South Korean tech giant saw a loss of over $850 million in Q4 of 2019 as sales of smartphones continued to decline and show little sign of recovering in the near future. LG generated KRW 1.32 trillion in revenue between October and December 2019. The figures translate to roughly 1.12 billion US Dollars, which is a sizable amount, but still noticeably lower than its revenue of 1.41 billion US Dollars in Q4 of 2018.
Furthermore, the mobile division suffered huge setbacks in the final quarter as well, measuring about KRW 332.2 million. Meaning, about 280 million US Dollars was lost during this period of time, which is also higher than the 270 million US Dollars lost in the same quarter of 2018.
Despite LG’s best efforts to reduce cost and operational expenditures, the company is still showing negative growth. Looking at the overall report for 2019, the electronics brand’s declining mobile division generated 5 billion US Dollars but experienced a large sum of 858.34 million during the same time. This also highlights LG further declining over 2018, where the company lost just 650 million US Dollars in the same quarter. From a multinational corporation’s point of view, the financial figures are terrible for any company.
LG G8X ThinQ
However, a silver lining does present itself to the company. LG, similar to Samsung, hopes that the newer and faster bandwidth, 5G network, will help improve its sales figures for 2020. As of right now, the adoption of 5G is still low and confined to a handful of countries including, South Korea and China. The former is the home country for both LG and Samsung through which both seem to benefit the most. Notably, other brands like Xiaomi are also quickly catching up in these regions and LG stated that it is expecting “severe competition” in the mid range smartphone segment.
LG said that the decline in sales of its smartphone in Q4 of 2019 is due to its stagnant sales in the overseas market, especially in the mid-range segment of smartphones. Additionally, the company attributed the higher expenditure to clearing existing inventory and the launch of new products.
Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, has urged the British government to reconsider its decision allowing Chinese telecom giant Huawei a limited role in building the country’s 5G and fibre networks.
During his visit to the United Kingdom, Mike Pompeo talked with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on the Huawei issue. As per the reports, he has described the Chinese company as “real risk” to cyber security.
He has also warned that the US intelligence information would not be allowed to pass across untrusted networks, which includes any networks running hardware sources from Huawei or ZTE, both Chinese brands.
In May last year, the United States said that it considers Huawei a national security threat without showing any proofs and also alleged that the equipment supplied by the firm could be used by China’s government to spy. The U.S. also added Huawei to the Department of Commerce’s Entity List in May 2019, effectively banning it.
A few days ago, Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of UK, gave Huawei the go-ahead for building 5G networking in parts of the country. However, the Chinese company can only develop “non core” parts of the newer and faster bandwidth and its market share is hard-capped at 35 percent.
Following UK’s decision, the European Union has also allowed the Chinese telecommunications manufacturer to help build its 5G network. Similar to the UK, this decision comes with a set of guidelines for its member nations which suggests to omit high-risk vendors like Huawei from the ‘core’ 5G network infrastructure.
Xiaomi‘s fitness band has always been known for its cheap pricing, solid build and good performance. Since the Mi Band 4 was released, the units have sold massively. A survey of wearable devices in China by IDC for Q3 2019 had revealed that Xiaomi’s wearables command 25% of the market. Of course, most of the wearables sold were the Mi Band series.
New information has emerged showing that Xiaomi’s Redmi brand may be trying to replicate the success of the Mi Band. In other words, Redmi has got a new wearable device, specifically, a fitness band in the works. The keyword”Redmi band” was spotted on the source code of the latest version of the Xiaomi Wear app. The code shows the device will be equipped with features such as watch faces, notification, weather alert, alarm clock, payment, find band, heart rate, music control and other functions. Judging from these functions alone, the Redmi band seems to cram more features than the current Mi Band 4.
In addition to these features, some persons have also dug up the schematics of the Redmi Band on Xiaomi’s CDN server. In terms of the appearance, the Redmi Band will completely deviate from the design style of the Mi Band. The shape is simpler, more like a bracelet. Maybe this is also one of the means of reducing the cost of the wearable.
We expect the device to be cheaper than the Mi Band. However, Redmi is yet to release any information on the purported Redmi Band.
BT (British Telecom) has stated that Britain’s decision to limit Huawei‘s involvement in building 5G infrastructure would have increased the cost of its gigabit-communications plan by about 500 million pounds over five years.
British Telecom is the largest mobile broadband network provider and its Chief Executive, Philip Jansen, said he welcomed the use of vendors such as Huawei. Both companies have been known partners in the region for a while now and this further extends their collaborations.
The senior executive also revealed that the company is ” in the process of reviewing the guidance in detail to determine the full impact on our plans and at this time estimate an impact of around 500 million pounds over the next 5 years.” in other words, the company stands to lose roughly $657 million over the course of the next 5 years, since the local government has put a hard cap on the company’s total involvement in the 5G market.
On the other hand, BT is on similar sides with the government’s decision by stating that the security of the UK’s communications infrastructure should be the top priority. As or right now, Huawei is allowed to develop only “non core” 5G infrastructure and can only have a market share of 35 percent in the local 5G market.
Recently, BT had unveiled its financial report for 2019 which had the company see a weak performance in Q3 of 2019, dropping by 3 percent or 5.78 billion pounds lower than initial expectations. The company is also witnessing a fall in core earnings which is estimated to be around 1.98 billion pounds. BT has blamed higher spectrum fees, investment in customer experience and rising operating costs as reasons for the decline.
A new Samsung patent has surfaced which showcases a unique and futuristic design. The patents revealed a Galaxy smartphone with a round edge/notch and comprise of three separate displays.
Looking at the images provided, the Samsung smartphone is made of two round sub-displays that are placed at the bottom and at the top of the primary display unit. The main screen is noticeably larger than the other two and the three combined to showcase a “squircular” display which mix of square and circular on the edges, according to the patent description.
Samsung’s patent reveals the smartphone featuring a primary display with sub-displays on the top and bottom
The sub-displays serve a functional purpose alongside its unique appearance. The top and bottom rounded displays contain various app icons that can be interacted with via touch input and will also allow wheel scrolling to get to the users’ desired choice of applications. This has also led to a smartphone with a futuristic design.
The smartphone portrayed in the patent arrives with a rounded notch while the sides reveal minimal bezels. Unlike other OEMs that have their offerings feature waterdrop notch, bar notch or even a punch hole camera, this rounded has never been seen before. Since the sub-displays also offer some unique functionality, the new design seems to benefit from the new hardware which could arrive with specialized software optimizations as well.
Image via LetsGoDigital
Samsung is known to uniquely brand the notches on its Galaxy smartphone offerings. These include names like “Infinity-O,” “Infinity-U,” and “Infinity-V.” The O refers to punch hole and is generally seen in flagship handsets, while the U and V are different forms of a waterdrop notch display typically found in Galaxy A series and M series of smartphones. Thus, with the prior focus on notches, an upcoming Galaxy smartphone with such a futuristic design doesn’t seem far fetched.
With so many smartphone brands working on a foldable smartphone or a patent related to a similar design, yet another company has joined the list — Intel. The chipset maker has patent a new foldable smartphone design that become a tablet when unfolded.
Further, it is said that the company is looking at the future progressive technology along with various display manufacturers, including LG Display, Boe Technology, Sharp and Samsung Display, among others.
If the research shows that these new types of displays actually contribute to a positive user experience, then Intel says that it will accelerate the development of such products, which is currently steadily continuing in the background.
The design of the phone is a bit similar to the wrap-around display as the screen folds around the housing. The patent shows that the phone consists of one large flexible screen and when folded, the screen remains exposed.
The display extends through the right-hand side to the entire rear. It seems that majority of the surface on the device is covered by the screen, giving it a modern look. At the bottom there is a wide button, which can be used to unfold the smartphone.
The left-hand part of the device seems a bit thicker given that it houses all the necessary components. However, it looks like the housing is pretty thin but the images doesn’t reveal where and how the company will place the camera module.
Earlier this month, during CES, Intel had demonstrated its first prototype of a foldable laptop, nicknamed Horseshoe Bend. It features a 17.3-inch foldable OLED screen and appears like any other clamshell laptop.
Recently, China has been affected by one of the worst viral outbreak to have ever plagued the country. The Coronavirus has been a cause for global alarm and has become a major epidemic in China’s Wuhan district. This, in turn, has also affected the supply chain or various different industries, including electronics. Now, it is being reported that the Samsung Galaxy S20 series’ accessories supply will also be delayed.
Samsung Galaxy S20 series LED covers (Unconfirmed leaks)
According to the source, various manufacturers sent letters that address delays in accessories shipment due to the ongoing viral outbreak. Furthermore, due to this, the local government has also extended the Chinese New Year holidays as a method to combat the spread of the infection. In other words, areas like factories that generally have a large number of people are seeing their operations suspended as a means of precaution.
Notably, the products made in China that are being sold in the western markets will go through stricter control, which will inevitably delay shipments. Samsung’s Unpacked, where the South Korean tech giant is expected to reveal its 2020 flagship lineup, is less than two weeks away. Keep in mind, this is during a time of extended Chinese New Year holidays and Coronavirus spreading. So, it comes as no surprise that smartphones being released at this particular time frame will see delays in certain cases.
Coronavirus outbreak in the Wuhan region has people wear face masks for added precaution
Thus, one would be considered lucky if they manage to get their hands on a Samsung Galaxy S20 series accessory early during its launch. Currently, it is expected that the shortage of stocks and delays in shipment will persist for an unavoidable short period of time, but should recover in the month to follow.
We are all eagerly waiting for the Huawei P40 series which is confirmed to launch sometime in March 2020. The lineup has pretty big shoes to fill this year after the P30 series garnered a great response from consumers in 2019. And just like the P30 lineup, the camera will continue to be a strong point of the new P40 series as well.
The biggest change in the Huawei P40 series this year is the number of flagship devices in the lineup. Last year, the Huawei P series featured three main devices, the Huawei P30 Pro, the Huawei P30, and the Huawei P30 Lite. This year, there seems to be an additional high-end model called the Huawei P40 Pro PE or Huawei P40 Pro Premium Edition. As the name suggests, this is expected to be the most powerful model in the series featuring a Penta-camera setup at the back. The other P40 series devices will have fewer cameras on board.
Since we expect four different models in the P40 series this year, let’s take a closer look at each one of them down below.
Note that this information is based on the available renders and leaked information over the past couple of months. So we can’t guarantee 100% accuracy. However, in our experience, we are at a stage where most of the information mentioned below should turn out to be true at launch. Also, we have added an * if a particular feature mentioned below is based on pure speculation rather than any credible leak or rumor.
Huawei P40
The Huawei P40 aka the standard edition will be the cheapest model in the flagship range. It will cut down on a few features like a curved display and a couple of cameras to keep the price lower than the Pro and Premium editions.
Huawei P40 – standard edition – via 91mobiles
The P40 is expected to feature a flat OLED display with a size ranging between 6.1-6.2-inches. The front camera solution on the new model will be different than its predecessor. The phone will come with dual punch-hole cameras on its OLED display, placed on the top left corner. To remind you, these dual punch-hole cameras are common among all the three flagship models (P40 Pro and P40 PE) this year.
At the back, there will be a rectangular camera housing, much like the Pixel 4 series. Being a standard edition model, the P40 will only feature three cameras at the back. The volume buttons and the power button with an orange accent will be placed on the right. At the bottom, you’ll get the speaker and the USB-C port. Note that the placement of the ports and the buttons are common among the other two models as well.
The expected specs of the Huawei P40 are as below.
Triple Leica camera setup: 40MP cine shooter (1/1.5″) + 52MP primary (1/1.3″) sensor + 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom
5000mAh battery (*)
NO 3.5mm headphone jack
HMS services instead of Google services
IP53 certification (*)
Currently, we have no word on the pricing of the Huawei P40. However, rumors state that the entire lineup might launch at a cheaper price tag than its predecessor. The P30 started at 3,988 Yuan (~$593) in China last year, so we can expect the starting price for the P40 to be cheaper than this figure at launch.
The Huawei P40 Pro will reportedly come with a curved OLED display, much like the P30 Pro. There’ll be dual punch-hole cameras on the top left corner of the curved-screen – same as the standard P40. However, the Pro model’s display will likely get a high refresh rate.
At the back, the basic rectangular housing remains the same, but there should be two major changes in the Pro variant’s camera setup. First, there’s an additional fourth sensor, expected to be a 3D ToF camera. Second, the Pro version should swap the telephoto lens with a redesigned periscope lens offering up to 10x optical zoom on the device. There are conflicting reports about this model’s zoom capability. Some say that the 10x optical zoom will be limited to the Premium edition. So, the Pro version will only get 5x optical zoom.
Quad Leica camera setup (Possibility I): 40MP cine shooter (1/1.5″) + 52MP primary (1/1.3″) sensor + Periscope lens with 5x optical zoom + 3D ToF sensor OR
Quad Leica camera setup (Possibility II): 64MP Sony IMX686 +20MP ultra-wide lens + Periscope lens with 10x optical zoom + 3D ToF sensor
5500mAh battery
NO 3.5mm headphone jack
HMS services instead of Google services
IP58 certification (*)
Fast Wireless Charging (*)
Huawei P40 Pro PE (Premium Edition)
Huawei P40 Pro PE render by Evan Blass
This will be the top-end model in the P40 lineup. The phone is expected to retain all of the features of the P40 Pro with two major additions. First, the Premium edition will reportedly feature a ceramic back. Secondly, there should be an additional camera at the back, making for a Penta-camera setup.
Huawei P40 Pro PE camera arrangement
A closeup of the possible camera arrangement at the back can be seen above. We could also see a couple of feature additions on this model. For example, it could support faster wired and wireless charging speeds as compared to the Pro version.
The expected specs of the Huawei P40 Pro Premium Edition are as follows.
Kirin 990 5G (*)
12GB RAM + 256/512GB ROM (*)
6.5-6.7 inch OLED QHD+ display with 120Hz screen refresh rate
We are also expecting a cheaper and stripped-down version of the P40 dubbed as the Huawei P40 Lite for the international markets. It’s being said that it will be a rebranded Nova 6 SE model that was launched in China in December 2019.
Nova 6 SE could be launched as the Huawei P40 Lite
If that’s the case, the Huawei P40 Lite should feature a quad-camera camera setup in a square housing at the back and a single punch hole camera on its LCD display.
The expected specs of the Huawei P40 Lite (based on Nova 6 SE) are as follows.
The Huawei P40 series is expected to come in colors such as Black, Blush Gold, Silver Frost, Deep Sea Blue, & Ice White. Leaks point to March 26 launch event for the P40 series but we are still awaiting official confirmation from the company.
Huawei P40 Pro Premium concept render by Waqar Khan
The P40 series will define Huawei’s strategy in 2020. The last generation model sold pretty well in China as well as overseas. But without Google apps, the company will have a hard time convincing users to go for Google App replacements like TomTom maps and its own HMS core services, even if the entire lineup is cheaper than competitors like Samsung and Apple.
City of Wuhan in Central China’s Hubei Province remains under quarantine because of the coronavirus outbreak. Despite this, chipmakers Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) and its 12-inch foundry subsidiary Wuhan Xinxin Semiconductor Manufacturing (XMC) claims to have been unaffected in terms of production and shipments.
The companies say that the deliveries of their chip remains normal despite coronavirus outbreak in their locality. The company’s spokesperson has said that it is maintaining normal production and operations, and its raw material supplies and shipments are also running smoothly.
YMTC says that it has undertaken a number of scientific preventive measures to ensure that its employees remain safe. The measures taken by the company include publicising quarantine procedures, offering medical masks, temperature checks, enhanced disinfecting, and remote meetings.
There are numerous reports claiming that the production and supply chain of several smartphones in the China could get hit amid coronavirus outbreak. Recently, it was reported that supply chain of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S20 lineup could be affected. Prior to that, it was said that production of the upcoming Apple iPhone 9 as well as AirPods might face issues but Foxconn claimed that everything is working smoothly.
Apart from coronavirus outbreak and the extended Chinese New Year holidays, the Chinese government has officially extended the holiday season as a way to battle the spread of infection. Thus, a lot of factories have already suspended operations and will stay out-of-business for a while.
Huawei has been actively working to reduce its dependence on American companies since May last year when the United States put the Chinese giant on the “Entity List”, effectively banning the company from doing trade with the US-based firms without explicit permission.
With this, the company has also lost the license to use Google Mobile Services (GMS) on Huawei as well as Honor devices. While this isn’t a major concern for the Chinese market, but GMS is essential for every other market.
As Huawei was left without a stable app ecosystem, it started working on its own operating system and launched the same within months — HarmonyOS. The company also doubled down on app development and recently launched its own Huawei Mobile Services (HMS) and is luring developers to use its platform, spending billions of dollars in the process.
Now, in a press conference in Vienna, Wang Fei, Head of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group in Austria, clearly said that Huawei does not plan to go back to using Google services even if it regains the license.
However, soon after this news started making headlines, Huawei responded to this and issued this statement: “An open Android ecosystem is still our first choice, but if we are not able to continue to use it, we have the ability to develop our own.”
The words in the statement are crafted in such as way that it neither confirms nor deny Wang Fei’s statements. It also doesn’t mention Google or its Play Services at all. It said that open Android ecosystem is the company’s first choice, which is already what the company is using for HarmonyOS.
Earlier, when the rumors about Huawei developing its own mobile operating system as HongMong OS started surfacing online, it was said that Huawei plans to get rid of Android OS from its smartphones and will instead use its own operating system.
However, soon after the launch of HarmonyOS, the company’s executives claimed that Google’s Android still remains Huawei’s first choice of mobile OS and it will continue using it as long as possible. The executive also added that if the company doesn’t get to use Android, they already have an alternative in place.
With Huawei having its own solution, Google had urged the U.S. government to allow doing business with the Chinese company as the company could lose around 700-800 million users. If Huawei’s plan for its own OS takes off and if the company manages to convince other Chinese mobile makers to use its operating system, then Google could lose its monopoly in the mobile OS market.
Samsung will be announcing the Galaxy S20 series on Feb. 11. The series includes Galaxy S20 5G, Galaxy S20+ 5G and Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G. Ahead of the launch, the South Korean company has started with the reservations of the S20 lineup in the U.S. Interested customers in the U.S. can visit the reservations page and reserve the new Galaxy S20 series phone. It states a current estimated shipping date of March 6.
Customers who wish to register for the Galaxy S20 series phone can visit the reservations page and enter details like name, email, zip code and desired carrier. Registration does not require users to spend money. Hence, it does not guarantee a device during pre-order. However, customers who register for S20 series should at least receiving an intimation through mail on the start of pre-orders.
Samsung has not confirmed any details on trade-in offers. Customers that reserve the Galaxy S20 line will get an exclusive $35 instant credit toward eligible devices and accessories. While Samsung is yet to confirm it, past reports have revealed that customers who pre-order the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+ or Galaxy S20 Ultra will provided with free Galaxy Buds+. The Buds+ is expected to retail at $149.
The South Korean company may begin with the pre-orders of the Galaxy S20 models on Feb. 11. So, with a estimated March 6 release date, the company is offering nearly a month to pre-order the desired S20 model. Other countries are also expected to begin with the S20 reservations in the coming days.
Samsung will be confirming the pricing of the S20 models at the launch event on Feb. 11. Rumors have it that the Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G will be costing $1,300. In the Europe, the Galaxy S20 4G will cost 899 euros and its 5G variant could be priced at 999 euros. The S20+ 5G may cost 1,099 euros. The South Korean company is also rumored to debut the Galaxy Z Flip at the same event. However, the company has not confirmed on its reservations yet. The clamshell Galaxy Z Flip which is the second phone from the company to sport a flexible screen is expected to be priced at $1,500 in the U.S.
The tablet market is in decline for a lot of time, but there is a particular niche of the market which is doing very well, mainly thanks to iPads. We are talking about professional and high-end tablets: the ones perfect for power users and for productivity. Samsung just launched the world’s first 5G tablet and it belongs to this niche: it is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G. Given the importance of this tablet, we decided to compare it with the high-end tablets from the other main brands in the market: Huawei and Apple. Here is a comparison between Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G, Huawei MediaPad M6, and Apple iPad Pro 11 (we chose the 11 because the 12.9 variant costs too much to be suitable for such a comparison).
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G vs Huawei MediaPad M6 vs Apple iPad Pro 11
Huawei MediaPad M6 10.8
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G
Apple iPad Pro 11
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT
257 x 170 x 7.2 mm, 498 g
244.5 x 159.5 x 5.7 mm, 420 grams
247.6 x 178.5 x 5.9 mm, 468 g
DISPLAY
10.8 inches, 1600 x 2560p (Quad HD+), IPS LCD
10.5 inches, 1600 x 2560p (Quad HD+), Super AMOLED
The most impressive design is offered by the iPad Pro 11 and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G since they have the most narrow bezels around the display. Further, both come with an aluminum unibody design. While Apple iPad Pro 11 has slightly narrower bezels than Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G, the latter is more compact because it sports a smaller display (0.5 inches less). All of these tablets support a stylus, but the S Pen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G is more advanced due to its additional features (including Bluetooth support and additional sensors allowing to use it as a motion controller).
Display
If you need the most amazing display ever, go for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G. It sports an awesome Super AMOLED panel with a high Quad HD+ resolution and the HDR10+ certification. It is one of the best displays ever mounted on a tablet. Both Apple iPad Pro 11 and Huawei MediaPad M6 are equipped with an IPS panel with a 2K resolution, but the display of the Apple iPad Pro 11 is definitely better. It has a wider color gamut and the TrueTone technology calibrating the color automatically depending on the environment. You can attach a magnetic keyboard to each of these tablets.
Hardware/Software
In terms of performance, Apple iPad Pro 11 wins the battle. It has better software optimization as well as a configuration with 1 TB of internal storage. But in daily use, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G is more or less at the same level with a Snapdragon 855 chipset and up to 8 GB of RAM. Both the tablets feature amazing software for productivity, but Galaxy Tab S6 5G is the only tablet to support 5G. It supports 5G connectivity through a single-mode modem, so it has a higher energy consumption, but it supports it. Huawei MediaPad M6 takes the last place once again.
Camera
The best main camera is onboard the Apple iPad 11 Pro, but Galaxy Tab S6 5G is the only one to offer a dual camera including an ultrawide lens. If you want the best overall photo quality even in low light conditions, go for the Apple iPad Pro 11. But if you prefer photos that are still great and the chance to use an ultrawide lens, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 5G is a better option. Galaxy Tab S6 5G would be my personal choice.
Battery
Finally, an aspect for which Huawei MediaPad M6 looks better. It has a bigger 7500 mAh battery. With 5G connectivity and a single-mode 5G modem, we doubt Galaxy Tab S6 5G will offer the same battery life as the Apple iPad Pro 11.
Price
These tablets are only on sale in select markets, except the iPad Pro 11. So it is useless to make a price comparison. Galaxy Tab S6 5G is going on sale in South Korea for about €850/$940, Huawei MediaPad M6 costs just €300/$330 in China, while iPad Pro 11 costs almost €900/$1000 globally. There is not a clear winner here, it mostly depends on the user. Galaxy Tab S6 5G has the most complete specs sheet, but iPad Pro 11 is not far and it offers the most interesting operating system, even though it is a closed OS. Huawei MediaPad M6 is inferior to both, but it has a much higher value for money.
A few manufacturers have confirmed they will be attending MWC 2020 where they will hold special events for the launch of new products. Some of those who have announced dates include Vivo, TCL, Sony, Realme, and Motorola. Now, HMD Global has sent out invites for a press conference on February 23 in Barcelona.
The event is scheduled for 4:30 PM Central European Time. HMD Global is expected to announce a couple of new smartphones. There are reports it will unveil the Nokia 8.2, a 5G upper mid-range phone; the affordable mid-range Nokia 4.3; the entry-level Nokia 1.3; and a feature phone called the Nokia 400.
There is also a possibility we may get some new accessories, particularly from the audio department. PhoneArena also reports that we may be getting a fitness tracker too.
Unfortunately, HMD Global will not launch a flagship phone according to reports. However, we may get the highly-anticipated phone, dubbed the Nokia 9.2, later in the first half of the year.
As with all HMD Global press events, this should also be available for live-streaming.
When the first renders of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro were released last year by Steve Hemmerstoffer a.k.a. OnLeaks, he revealed that the phones will have support for wireless charging. This is a feature fans have demanded OnePlus put in its phones for years but which the company had declined to do, giving the excuse that it is not as fast as wired charging. That is no longer the case as last year, we saw phones with wireless charging speeds faster than several wired charging technologies.
Up until now, there has been no official proof that the OnePlus 8 series will support wireless charging. However, we now have evidence that OnePlus will indeed launch a product(s) with support for wireless charging.
For a company to launch a product with support for wireless charging, it must be a member of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC). Prior to now, OnePlus has not been a member of the WPC. However, it has now been discovered that the Shenzhen-based company has become a “full member” of the organization, thus confirming that it will announce products (read phones and accessories) with support for wireless charging.
For weeks now, I have personally checked the WPC’s product database for any upcoming product from OnePlus but nothing has turned up. But that should change soon since its name has surfaced on the list of registered members. We expect the OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 8 phones, as well as OnePlus’s own first wireless charger, to surface on the database of the Wireless Power Consortium soon.
The OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro will both be powered by the Snapdragon 865 processor and will have a 5G modem. Both phones will have curved punch-hole displays and frosted glass on the back. The Pro model will have four rear cameras while the standard model will have three rear cameras. It has also been reported that there will be a OnePlus 8 Lite, a possible mid-range device with a more affordable price tag.
After disembarking from the Xiaomi, Poco is soon going to launch its much-awaited new smartphone – Poco X2 on February 4. However, it’s predecessor, Poco F2 set a new benchmark for the affordable premium smartphone segment in 2018. Due to immense sales and popularity of Poco F1, various third-party developers are aggressively developing support for custom ROMs, Kernels, MODs, and frameworks.
POCO’s first model F1 was a hit in India
Meanwhile, Poco is rolling out MIUI 11 for Poco F1 in some parts around the globe. The update is scarcely limited to few regions, and most of the users are still using the Android 9 based MIUI skin on their Poco F1 units. We have created a guide that will allow the Poco F1 owners to flash the Android 10 based MIUI 11 easily.
The user can flash the Android 10 on Poco F1 without wasting any time. The process won’t affect the root status of your device, and you will keep receiving future updates without any issue. There won’t be any warranty void after sideloading the official OTA update zip by following the guide below.
Features of MIUI 11:
Refined Design – The user interface of the MIUI has become more minimalist and intuitive. The company has removed the unnecessary UI elements from the system.
Always-on-display – The MIUI 11 has enabled customization options for Ambient display. The user can easily choose from different animated clocks, colorful backgrounds, and the ability to type.
Mi Share – A nifty sharing tool from Xiaomi is also a part of the MIUI 11. The Mi Share allows the seamless transfer between Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme, and Vivo smartphones.
Efficient Battery Saver – The MIUI 11 brings improved battery Saver moe. It disables all the background services, and other resource-intensive tasks to save battery.
Dark Mode – As like the Vanilla Android 10, the MIUI 11 also offers a global dark mode for all the apps, settings and other menus.
Improved File Manager – Xiaomi has tweaked the file manager with inbuilt support for PDF, DOCX, and other Office files.
Better Sound Effects, Digital Wellbeing, notification enhancements, blur app previews, new keyboard, activity tracker, dynamic video wallpapers and a lot of other features are part of MIUI 11.
Poco F1 Specifications:
The Poco F1 comes with a 6.18-inch bezel-less display featuring a small notch. The display sports the resolution of 1080 x 2246 pixels, an aspect ratio of 18.7:9 and 403-pixel density. The display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass. It is powered with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 coupled with an Octa-Core processor and Adreno 630 GPU.
Poco F1 is available in 64GB + 6GB, 128GB + 6GB, 256GB + 8 GB storage variants.
THe smartphone offers a dual rear camera module with a 12-megapixel primary and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. On the front, there is a 20-megapixel camera for selfie and video calling. There is a dual-LED flash, HDR and panorama features packed intact with the camera module.
In connectivity, Poco F1 offers a Wifi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Radio, USB 2.0 Type-C, and OTG connector. There is Infrared face recognition, fingerprint sensor on the rear, an accelerometer, gyro, proximity and compass sensors.
The beautiful yet powerful device comes packed with a 4000 mAg non-removable Li-Po battery that sports 18W fast charging. Poco F1 features a Graphite Black, Steel Blue, Rosso Red, Armored Edition and Kevlar.
Install Android 10 based MIUI 11 on Poco F1
Xiaomi has kept its promise of rolling out Android 10 for Poco F1. The company is rolling out Android update with the new firmware build number MIUI 11.0.4.0.QEJMIXM. The same update is currently limited to only a few users.
The new build includes all the luxuries of Android 10 and packs additional features from the Xiaomi side. There are some xiaomi exclusive features like swipe gestures, new navigation gestures and much more.
Make sure you have the latest stable update installed.
Download the MIUI 11 Android 10 OTA update.zip from the section above.
Move the update.zip file from PC to the root directory of the smartphone.
Steps to install Android 10 MIUI 11 on Poco F1
While installing, don’t stop the update by forcing a shutdown or rebooting. It may brick your device permanently.
On your smartphone, open updater app on Poco F1 by heading to Settings > About Phone > System Updates.
Tap three dots on the top right corner and choose the ROM package.
Select the Android OTA zip and wait for the installation to complete. (Note: Your phone will automatically reboot.)
That’s it! Enjoy the Android 11 on Poco F1.
It is the most precise and straightforward procedure to install the Android 11 on Poco F1. If you have any issues while installing, then do let us know via the comments below.
A report by Strategy Analytics (SA) has shown that Apple was the market leader in the fourth quarter of 2019. The Cupertino-based company edged out both Samsung and Huawei to clinch this title.
According to the report, Apple shipped an estimated 70.7 million iPhones in Q4 2019. This figure represents a Year-on-Year increase of 7%. For clarity, Apple shipped 65.9 million smartphones in Q4 2018.
Thus, this is an impressive feat given that the global market remained flat. According to Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, this was Apple’s best growth performance since 2015. Apple’s global smartphone market share increased from 18 percent to 19 percent in the past year. The feat is also a clear indication that the brand’s new market strategy that saw more models get launched with cheaper pricing on the iPhone 11 worked. The company also received a healthier demand in Asia and North America.
In total, Apple shipped an estimated 197.4 million iPhones in 2019 to rank among the top 3 vendors in terms of market share.
Huawei is announcing price cuts for its 2019 flagship phones seeing as the P40 series is expected to launch soon. A few days ago, it cut the price of the P30 Pro. Today, it has cut the price of the Mate 30 Pro.
The Chinese giant has reduced the price of the 8GB + 128GB version of the Mate 30 Pro on its official store listed on Dangdang, a Chinese e-commerce platform. The phone which sold for ¥5799 (~$836) when it launched in late September is now available for ¥5399 (~$778) on the platform. Surprisingly, the price is unchanged on Vmall.com.
The Mate 30 Pro has a 6.53-inch 2400 x 1176 display with a wide notch at the top. It has a Kirin 990 processor under the hood. There is also an 8GB + 256GB version along with the 8GB RAM + 128GB version above.
There are four cameras on the back of the phone – a 40MP primary sensor, an 8MP telephoto camera, a 40MP ultrawide camera, and a 3D ToF camera, It also has two cameras in front; one is a 32MP sensor and the other is a 3D ToF camera which is no surprise since the phone has support for Face ID. It also has an in-display fingerprint scanner.
There is a 4500mAh battery inside the Mate 30 Pro and it supports 40W wired charging, 27W wireless charging, and reverse wireless and wired charging. Other features include NFC, IR blaster, Bluetooth 5.1, and support for storage expansion via a nano memory slot.
5G is the new wireless technology for cellular networks. It brings faster internet speeds and lower latencies compared to its predecessor, 4G. Network operators have begun rolling out 5G networks in major markets, and phone manufacturers have been announcing 5G devices even before the network began rolling out.
According to Ookla’s 5G Map, commercial 5G has been deployed in 6490 locations across the globe, with the bulk of it in North America, and by a total of 106 operators.
Image source: Ookla
Apart from having a 5G device and a 5G network to connect to, another important requirement is a 5G plan. Mobile network operators in markets that have already rolled out 5G service have followed it with the launch of various 5G plans that their subscribers can choose from. The price of these mobile plans varies from network operators to countries much like our existing 4G mobile plans.
This article will be comparing China’s 5G mobile plans to that of major markets (read the US and Europe).
China – Affordable has a limit
China is at the forefront of 5G not only with respect to the network coverage but also with devices. Manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Honor, and Realme have all announced 5G smartphones and they are selling pretty quickly. Huawei revealed it sold 6.9 million 5G devices and the amazing thing about that figure is none of these phones are priced below $300, which is where a significant percentage of 5G mobile phones sold lies.
To sell more 5G phones, Xiaomi announced affordable 5G plans exclusive to owners of the Redmi K30 5G phone, the cheapest 5G phone you can buy right now. The pricing for these mobile plans even beat some 4G plans. You may be wondering how Xiaomi is able to offer its own mobile plans – the reason is that Xiaomi also has a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) or virtual carrier/subcarrier that is based on China Unicom, one of the three main network operators in China.
Redmi K30 5G
Virtual carriers are popular in several countries, especially in the US. They use the infrastructure (base stations, switching centers, etc.) of an already established network operator and provide services to subscribers on their network. Google Fi is an example of an MVNO.
Listed below are Xiaomi’s 5G mobile plans:
¥49 (~$7.10) which gives you 20GB of data and 50 minutes of talk time
¥69 (~$10) which gives you 30GB of data and 100 minutes of talk time
¥99 (~$14.35) which gives you 40GB of data and 200 minutes of talk time
Just to compare, I pay ₦8,000 (~$26) for 20GB of LTE data (5GB bonus when you renew before it expires) here in Nigeria with no talk time included.
At the moment, no other smartphone manufacturer offers 5G mobile plans. Xiaomi’s data plans should help it drive more sales and give it an edge over its competitors. And since the Redmi K30 5G has dual-SIM support, you can have a different network in the second SIM slot which you use for calls and SMS. We do not know if Xiaomi will make the service available to its other 5G devices (Mi 9 Pro 5G, Mi MIX 3 5G).
Now, let us compare Xiaomi’s own mobile plans to that of the other three operators.
China Mobile
China Mobile (Home Package)
China Unicom
China Telecom
¥ 128 (~$18.5) – 30GB of data and 200 minutes of talk time
¥ 169 (~$24.5) – 30GB of data and 500 minutes of talk time
¥ 129 (~$18.7) – 30GB of data and 500 minutes of talk time
¥ 129 (~$18.7) – 30GB of data and 500 minutes of talk time
¥198 (~$28.7) – 60GB of data and 500 minutes of talk time
¥ 269 (~$38.9) – 60GB of data and 1000 minutes of talk time
¥ 159 (~$23) – 40GB of data and 200 minutes of talk time
¥ 169 (~$24.5) – 40GB of data and 800 minutes of talk time
¥ 298 (~$43) – 100GB of data and 800 minutes of talk time
¥ 369 (~$53.4) – 100GB of data and 1500 minutes of talk time
¥ 199 (~$28.8) for 60GB of data and 1000 minutes of talk time
¥ 199 (~$28.8) – 60GB of data and 1000 minutes of talk time
¥ 398 (~$57.6)- 150GB of dataand 1200 minutes of talk time
¥ 569 (~$82.3) – 150GB of data and 2000 minutes of talk time
¥ 299 (~$43.3) – 100GB of data and 1500 minutes of talk time
¥ 239 (~$34.6) – 80GB of data and 1000 minutes of talk time
¥ 598 (~$86.6) – 300GB of dataand 3000 minutes of talk time
¥ 869 (~$125.8) – 300GB of data and 3000 minutes of talk time
¥ 399 (~$57.8) – 150GB of data and 2000 minutes of talk time
¥ 299 (~$43.3) – 100GB of data and 1500 minutes of talk time
¥ 599 (~$86.7) – 300GB of data and 3000 minutes of talk time
¥ 399 (~$57.8) – 150GB of data and 2000 minutes of talk time
¥ 599 (~$86.7) for 300GB of data and 3000 minutes of talk time
It is easy to see that Xiaomi’s mobile data plans are much cheaper but since it is only exclusive to the Redmi K30 5G, owners of other 5G phones will have to settle for any of the above.
While all three operators offer similar basic plans, China Unicom and China Telecom take the win by offering more than double the talk time China Mobile offers. The ¥198/¥199 plan of the three networks follow the same pattern with China Telecom and China Unicom, again offering more talk time compared to China Mobile.
However, all three operators provide the same amount of data and talk time for their most expensive plans.
China’s data plans are cheap when compared to that of other countries mentioned below and in comparison to 4G data plans with respect to the price per GB. The low price is expected to encourage subscribers that spend a similar amount on 4G data plans to make the switch to 5G which offers faster speeds.
However, as we shall see, some of the operators in these countries throw in some really nice perks such as free access to video and music streaming platforms as well as game streaming services too.
United States – more expensive but with perks
In the US, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint have begun rolling out 5G across the country, though the service is only available in some areas and not statewide. The plans vary with each network operator and pack multiple additional features which makes it impossible to have a table comparing the networks side-by-side.
Verizon
Starting with Verizon, the carrier is sticking to nearly the same price as its LTE plans. If you have a 5G device and are subscribed to any of its LTE plans, all you have to do is pay an extra $10/month to access 5G. However, that access fee is currently waived for all plans except the Start Unlimited plan. Verizon says it is for a limited time and has not yet announced when it will begin charging for it. There is also no mention of throttling when you reach a certain data mark but expect that to happen.
Below are the 5G data plans for the network operator.
Verizon’s 5G Data Plans
Verizon also has a 5G Mobile Hotspot called the Inseego MiFi M1000 that sells for $649 ($27.8/Month) or $499 (2-year contract). If you add the MiFi to your Verizon account, you will be charged $30 per month for 50GB of 5G data and 15GB of LTE data.
T-Mobile
If you are on T-Mobile, you do not pay extra for 5G. The magenta network says users will pay the same amount they currently pay for its 4G unlimited plans which starts at $70per month per line.
AT&T
AT&T doesn’t have special 5G data plans. The network operator is including 5G coverage with its Unlimited Elite and Unlimited Extra plans which cost $85 and $75 respectively. Below are the differences between the plans:
AT&T Unlimited Elite
AT&T Unlimited Extra
$85
$75
Unlimited talk, text, and data in the US, Mexico, and Canada
Unlimited talk, text, and data in the US, Mexico, and Canada
High-Definition Streaming
Standard-Definition Streaming
30GB Mobile Hotspot (slowed down to 128Kbps after crossing 30GB)
15GB Mobile Hotspot (slowed down to 128Kbps after crossing 15GB)
100GB of premium data. After crossing the 100GB mark, data speeds may temporarily slow down if the network is busy
50GB of premium data. After crossing the 50GB mark, data speeds may temporarily slow down if the network is busy
HBO included
No HBO
Sprint
Sprint users can access 5G by subscribing to the Unlimited Premium Plan which costs $80 per month and offers unlimited data, unlimited calls, and unlimited SMS. The plan also includes 100GB of data to use as an LTE mobile hotspot and includes access to Amazon Prime, Twitch Prime, and Tidal HiFi.
In the UK, EE, Vodafone, and Three have rolled out 5G service. EE was the first to launch its 5G network in the UK, ahead of Vodafone and Three. Things are not so straightforward in the UK but one unifying feature is support for roaming in multiple countries.
EE
The operator has only one 5G SIM-only data plan but several other plans that are tied to the purchase of a 5G device from them. Their range of 5G devices includes the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, Samsung Galaxy Fold, Galaxy Note10+ 5G, OPPO Reno 5G, and the LG V50 ThinQ, etc.
The amount you pay for a particular plan varies from device to device with the Galaxy Fold having the most expensive plan since it is the most expensive device available.
Pricing starts at £49/month for 10GB of 5G data and up to £69/month for unlimited data for a phone like the Reno 5G. While a phone like the Galaxy Fold starts at £99/month for 10GB of data and goes up to £109/month for unlimited data.
Unlimited Data Plan (monthly SIM only plan)
£44/month
Unlimited data, unlimited texts, and unlimited minutes
Three Swappable Benefits – BT Sport, Amazon Prime Video, and Roaming
Vodafone UK
Vodafone on the other hand also offers three unlimited 5G plans – Unlimited Lite, Unlimited, and Unlimited Max. The image below shows the three plans and what they offer:
Vodafone’s UK data plans
Although not stated above, the data speeds are capped at 2Mbps for Unlimited Lite, 10Mbps for Unlimited, while Unlimited Max will be able to access speeds as fast as the device and network supports. Those data speed caps are pretty ridiculous for 5G and you are better off sticking to a 4G plan.
Vodafone's Red Plans
There are also three mobile plans that do not offer unlimited data but you get unlimited calls and texts. There is no mention of a speed cap for these plans, so you should get the maximum speed of your device and the network supports.
Three UK
Three rolled out its 5G service in the UK last but claims its own 5G is “true 5G”. There are several plans available depending on if you want a monthly contract, a 12-month contract, or a 24-months contract. For this post, we will stick to the monthly contract.
There are four plans available for the monthly contract and only one of them offers unlimited data:
Unlimited
30GB
12GB
4GB
£25 (~$33)
£24 (~$31)
£19 (~$25)
£16 (~$21)
Unlimited Data, Unlimited Texts, and Unlimited Calls
Unlimited Texts and Unlimited Calls
Unlimited Texts and Unlimited Calls
Unlimited Texts and Unlimited Calls
Roaming in 71 countries
Roaming in 71 countries
Roaming in 71 countries
Roaming in 71 countries
Personal Hotspot
Personal Hotspot
Personal Hotspot
Personal Hotspot
Go Binge: streaming from Snapchat, Netflix, Apple Music, and more doesn’t count on your data
Go Binge: streaming from Snapchat, Netflix, Apple Music, and more doesn’t count on your data
Go Binge: streaming from Snapchat, Netflix, Apple Music, and more doesn’t count on your data
Go Binge not available
You get unlimited data if you pay £1 extra! Deciding which plan to choose between the Unlimited and the 30GB data plan is definitely a no-brainer.
SWITZERLAND – Swiss Watches, Swiss Chocolates, and Swiss 5G
Switzerland is one of the leading markets with respect to 5G in Europe. Swisscom, one of the country’s leading network operators already has 5G coverage in 90% of the country. That should not be a big surprise since Switzerland is a very small country with respect to the land area. It also has a small population that is under 10 million. The other major network operators in Switzerland are Sunrise and Salt but the latter is yet to roll out its 5G service.
Swisscom
Swisscom says it does not have a special 5G mobile plan but all subscribers have to do to enjoy 5G internet speeds at up to 2Gbps is to pay for Premium Speed option on top of their current plan. This speed option costs CHF 10 (~$10/~ ¥71) and is available for their “inOne mobile go”, “inOne mobile basic”, and “Swiss mobile flat” tariffs. There is a top tier plan, the “inOne Mobile premium” that costs CFA 200 (~$206) and already has the Premium Speed option included.
Swisscom has a variety of mobile plans including special ones for everyone under the age of 26. Some of these plans have a certain amount of allocated data while others have unlimited surfing.
Sunrise
Sunrise has also rolled out 5G to several cities and towns across Switzerland. The operator has a variety of mobile plans which include 5G access. Sunrise has a mix of plans with 5G included and others where you have to pay CHF 10 per month to get 5G access. Below are the plans with 5G access included.
There is a 7 days mobile prepaid plan that costs CHF 19.90 (~$20.5) and you get unlimited calls, unlimited SMS/MMS, and unlimited 5G data.
7 Days Mobile Prepaid Plan
Monthly Mobile Internet Unlimited 5G
Freedom Europe and US
Freedom Young Europe and US
CHF 19.90 (~$20.5)
CHF 59/month
(~$61)
CHF 130/month
(~$132)
CHF 120/month
(~$123)
Unlimited calls, unlimited SMS, and unlimited 5G surfing
Unlimited 5G surfing at up to 2Gbps
Unlimited calls, unlimited SMS, and unlimited 5G surfing
Unlimited calls and SMS in Switzerland, EU, and the US. Unlimited 5G internet in Switzerland. Unlimited 4G+ internet in Switzerland, EU, and US.
New subscribers for the Freedom Europe & US and Freedom Young Europe & US plans will get a brand new HP Probook 440 G6 computer that is worth CHF 929 (~$957).
Other than these plans, Sunrise has a special cloud gaming service for 5G devices called Sunrise Game Cloud Option. For CHF 9.90 (~$10) per month, you get access to a library of over 50 games that includes high-end games such as Tomb Raider, DiRT Rally, and Deus Ex Human Revolution. You will be able to play these games in resolutions up to 4K over 5G on your 5G phone or 5G tablet, or on a PC connected to a good WLAN connection that meets the minimum system requirements. If you buy their HTC 5G Hub, you can even play on your TV by connecting the hub to the TV via HDMI.
At the moment, Sunrise is offering free 3 months of service to anyone who subscribes.
Spain – One step at a time
In Spain, Vodafone is still the only operator that has rolled out 5G service in at least 15 major cities in collaboration with Huawei. The network operator has two 5G plans for individuals.
Unlimited Mobile
Vodafone One unlimited Super
€40.99/month.
€41.99/month(after 3 months, it becomes €84.99/month).
5G unlimited data for social networks and online music at 2Mbps.
5G unlimited data for videos and downloads at 10Mbps on your phone and 600Mbps via Symmetric fiber.
Unlimited calls to landline and mobiles.
Free Seriefans Pack with HBO Spain. Free 3 months subscription to premium Hatch which has up to 160 premium streaming games.
Roaming supported in Europe and the USA.
Roaming supported in Europe and USA
Conclusion
Looking at the data plans of these key markets, prices are expected to drop in the future, especially for those that are charging extra for 5G access. We foresee the extra charge will be removed but the base prices will remain the same. However, subscribers may even get more features bundled with these plans such as free access to game streaming services.
We also expect 5G hardware such as phones, modems, and CPE to get cheaper in the coming months and years. Not only will they get cheaper but network operators will bundle them with free data plans and other perks just to gain more subscribers. However, what will remain unchanged is the difference in pricing with respect to regions. Network operators can only lower prices to beat their competitors in the same market as there is no sense in lowering prices to rival other countries, though the regulatory bodies in each country can step in to see that prices are fair for the subscribers.
China will continue to be at the forefront with respect to hardware (cheaper and more options for 5G mobile phones), 5G coverage, and certain 5G services (smart cities, gaming) as long as it remains the manufacturing hub for mobile electronics and Huawei and ZTE remain in the network business.
When it comes to other applications of 5G such as with self-driving cars, China may also take the lead this decade with key players such as Baidu, Tencent, and even Huawei pumping resources into autonomous driving. That is not to say other countries like the USA will be left behind but the Chinese government has shown more resolve with 5G development compared to other countries.
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