The Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem has been designed by Qualcomm to support 5G networks. Today, Qualcomm has confirmed that at least 18 different smartphone manufacturing companies will be launching Snapdragon X50 5G modem enabled smartphones. Moreover, the U.S.-based chip maker has confirmed that various telecom service providers from across the world will be starting the trail run of 5G networks soon.

The Snapdragon X50 5G NR (New Radio) mobile modem chipset can attain download speeds of several gigabits. In October 2017, Qualcomm had unveiled the new 5G modem and confirmed that it would be commercially available during the first half of 2019. Now that Qualcomm has released press releases for the carriers and smartphone manufacturers that will be supporting and releasing 5G smartphones featuring Snapdragon X50 modem, it seems that the company is well on track of fulfilling the promise of making 5G phones available in 2019.

The smartphone OEMs that are working with Qualcomm to launch phones with Snapdragon X50 5G modem next year are Asus, Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Connected Technologies Limited, HMD Global (Nokia), HTC, Inseego/Novatel Wireless, LG, NetComm Wireless, NETGEAR, OPPO, Sharp Corporation, Sierra Wireless, Sony Mobile, Telit, vivo, Wingtech, WNC, Xiaomi and ZTE.

Two of the major smartphone manufacturing companies namely, Apple and Huawei are missing from the list. Samsung has signed a separate cross-license partnership with Qualcomm recently which may also include plans to launch 5G enabled Samsung phones soon. Lenovo too is absent from the list.

The list of select global mobile operators that will conducing live and OTA mobile 5G NR trials include AT&T, British Telecom, China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, KDDI, KT Corporation, LG Uplus, NTT DOCOMO, Orange, Singtel, SK Telecom, Sprint, Telstra, TIM, Verizon and Vodafone Group.

Read More: Gizmochina Explains: 5G Network Standard

Which smartphone company will be releasing the first 5G smartphone next year? OPPO CEO Tony Chen had confirmed in the previous month that it will be among the first manufacturers to release a 5G smartphone. ZTE CEO Lixin Cheng has recently claimed that a 5G ZTE phone would be launching at the end of 2018 or early 2019. Two months ago, Huawei CEO Yu Richard said that a 5G Huawei smartphone would be releasing in the second half of 2019.

5G smartphones featuring Snapdragon X50 will allow users to connect to public Wi-Fi without login. Such phones will offer ultrafast downloads, high-speed internet browsing, topnotch quality video and voice calls, lag free streaming of 360-degreee video and instant cloud access. Qualcomm will be also bringing 5G connectivity on other devices like Always Connected PCs, VR and AR.

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The Snapdragon X50 5G modem was introduced by Qualcomm exactly a year ago. During the ongoing Qualcomm 4G/5G Summit in Hong Kong, the company has successfully demonstrated 5G connection through the single-chip X50 5G modem using 28GHz mmWave radio frequency band.

Qualcomm had set a target of hitting a 5G speeds of 5 Gbps. However, the company could achieve 5G connection of over 1 Gbps by carrier aggregation of two 100 MHz 5G bands. The Snapdragon X50 LTE modem is capable to support up to eight 100 MHz bands through carrier aggregation.

The 5G modem can offer fivefold faster connectivity compared to 4G modem. However, 5G modem consumes the same amount of power as conventional 4G modems. This is because the company has employed efficient amplifies as well as enhanced antenna design. It seems that it will take few more years for consumers to take advantage of 5G connectivity.

In order to test and optimize 5G performance in mobile form factor, the company made use of its first mmWave 5G smartphone reference design. It will be used for testing 5G modems, radio and networks with smartphone manufacturers in the coming years to launch 5G-enabled phones in the first half of 2019.

Read More: Qualcomm Files Another Lawsuit Seeking To Ban iPhones In China

Coming to the 5G reference design device, it has a thickness of 9mm and is fitted with an edge-to-edge screen and dual rear cameras. To test Snapdragon X50 modem inside the reference device, Qualcomm has built a wave antenna that appears like a dime. The company claims it can integrate two of these antennas in smartphone. It will be working on reducing its size by 50 percent over the next year.

Qualcomm has also announced some components that will make it easier for device makers to support the new 600 MHz spectrum from T-Mobile. As of this writing, the LG V30 is the only device that can support the new spectrum from T-Mobile. By the end of 2017 and early 2018, more smartphones are expected to support it.

The U.S. based chip maker has also introduced Snapdragon 636 as an enhanced edition of Snapdragon 630 that was unveiled earlier this year. The new chipset that is built for mid-range phones features custom Kryo 260 cores and carries support for 18:9 displays. Speculations have that an upcoming Xiaomi Redmi phone could be the first Snapdragon 636 phone.

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