Top 5G phones

The 5G phone wars are coming. See which devices are leading the vanguard now

5G smartphones are going to be taking over in 2019, with many of the biggest names in the business already confirming 5G-ready handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S10, Huawei P30, and OnePlus 7 are scheduled for launch next year.

Then throw in the fact that Qualcomm's President, Christiano Amon, has confirmed that "every Android vendor is working of 5G right now", and it becomes increasingly clear that by the end of 2019 5G is going to be well and truly here.

Indeed, speaking at Qualcomm's Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii in early December 2018, Amon stated that:

"By the holidays next year, every flagship handset – at least when it comes to those running Google's Android software and using Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor – will tap into 5G."

Add in some extra leaks and hints to the official confirmations, and it's clear that 2019 is going to be not just a year where 5G technology hits laboratories, but when it will actually arrive in our mobiles... and there are plenty of reasons to get excited.

The next-gen data tech will not only absolutely smoke 4G and 3G in terms of speed, but it also has the potential to radically alter how the world's best smartphones are used every day.

5G is here, and in 2019 5G phones are going to launch around the world.

Think augmented reality (computer graphics merging with the real world), virtual reality, improved streaming resolutions, holographic displays, enhanced power and next-gen cloud computing – 5G is going to be significant jump forward for phones.

With so much bandwidth available, we'll see plenty more gadgets and devices getting online too (self-driving cars and so on).

Partner these exciting developments with the other phone advancements charging over the horizon, such as totally notch-less and bezel-less displays, and its easy to see why many commentators are pegging 2019 as a big year of change for smartphones.

Here we're going to run through the best 5G phones we're expecting in 2019, with makers like Apple, Samsung, Sony, OnePlus and Huawei already chomping at the bit to launch astounding 5G-enabled flagships.

5G EXPLAINED – WHAT IS 5G

Before we get to the phones though, what exactly is 5G? It's the successor to 4G or LTE, which succeeded 3G (can you spot the pattern?). Once phones and the network infrastructure have been made 5G-capable, we can all start enjoying faster upload and download speeds.

How much faster? It depends on your device, location, and network, but improvements of around 15-50 percent should be possible day to day in the real world. Hypothetically, in lab conditions, 5G can improve on 4G many more times than that, so there's room to grow: imagine full 4K movies downloading in a minute or two, and you're in the right area.

5G isn't just about speed though: about being able to watch 4K Netflix on the train home. It's also about capacity, and being able to get a stronger signal in crowded areas. In other words, you shouldn't lose connection at a crowded sports stadium or a music festival.

1. SAMSUNG GALAXY S10

At least one model of the Samsung Galaxy S10 is currently rumoured to be 5G enabled.

The 5G-toting Samsung Galaxy S10 is so close right now that the South Korean maker has just given a sneak peak at its incoming 5G flagship at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit in Maui, which runs from December 4 - 6.

The sneak peak entailed a demo by Samsung where a prototype device, which is almost certainly an early Galaxy S10, streamed native 4K movies from Netflix without any issues whatsoever, as well as simultaneously outputting the video to a connected 4K TV.

These Samsung Galaxy S10's 5G credentials were first hinted at well back in 2018, with reportsdetailing how Qualcomm and the South Korean maker had announced a 'strategic relationship' agreement, which specifically mentioned the "transition to 5G". 

Then throw in the official announcement in early December of the Snapdragon 855 processor, which has been confirmed as being the first commercial platform to support multi-gigabit 5G, and it's easy to see how a 5G Galaxy S10 already exists.

And, simply put, the transition to 5G for the S10 would make perfect sense as it would add dramatically to its list of features that will have Apple worried.

A 5G connection on the S10 would allow users simply incredible download and upload speeds, while also opening the gateway to play AAA games via streaming services like PS Now, as well as stream high-fidelity 4K movies.

With the S10 slated for launch at Mobile World Congress 2019, taking place at the end of February, it would also cement Samsung's position at the fore of the 5G charge, leaving many of its rivals playing catch up.

If we were to make a call, though, of the rumoured S10 models we would expect only the "Beyond 1" and "Beyond 2" models to have a 5G connection, not the entry level "Beyond 0" model.

Still, the idea of holding a 5G-equipped smartphone as early as February next year, if not earlier (see rival 5G phones below) is a mouth-watering proposition.

2. HUAWEI P30 OR MATE 30

A concept image depicting Huawei's much-anticipated Huawei P30 smartphone.

We know Huawei is working on 5G smartphones as Walter Ji, President of Huawei's Western European Consumer Business Group spoke to T3 about it in an exclusive interview.

The senior Huawei exec confirmed that 5G would feature "if not for P30, then for sure it will be in the Mate series next September".

As to why it could arrive in either device, Mr Ji said that:

“We have two flagship products. In March, we have the P series, and in October, we have the Mate series. So it will depend on how the chipset develops, because the 5G needs high power consumption."

And, that's an interesting consideration to process in regards to 5G, with the tech needing both more space physically, as antennas need to be larger, as well as power.

We've been impressed with the P20 phones and the Mate 20 handsets that Huawei has put out this year, and its 5G-ready 2019 offerings should definitely be worth a look too, with improved speeds and connectivity.

Considering that battery life is one of the smartphone industry's biggest issues right now, with most flagship phones delivering at most a day and half of battery life between charges, clearly makers are going to have to find ways to increase their handsets' internal power banks, or streamline and optimise how energy is used.

Even better, recent comments from Huawei boss Richard Yu have confirmed that Huawei's 5G phone will be foldable too. He didn't specify a time frame but we reckon that 2019 is a good bet for this particular handset.

3. ONEPLUS 7 OR ONEPLUS 7T

OnePlus flagships are always among the fastest phones on the market — a perfect match for 5G technology.

OnePlus CEO Pete Lau recently confirmed at Mobile World Congress Shanghai that the company is "working with US carriers" to bring a 5G smartphone to market next year.

That means the OnePlus 7 or possibly the OnePlus 7T is set to be that 5G phone – the sequels to this year's OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T.

Those claims have since been backed up by more comments from the OnePlus executive team, reaffirming the company's commitment to getting a 5G handset out in 2019. 

This all makes a lot of sense, as 5G would be a perfect fit for the cult Chinese maker, with its penchant for crazy speed and performance syncing well with the rapid data transfer speeds of 5G.

Considering that OnePlus knows what it is doing in terms of hardware, too, with this year's OnePlus 6flagship absolutely smoking rivals in benchmark tests, a 5G-enabled device next year would make it a no-brainer insta-buy.

OnePlus usually releases its main phone refresh in May or July, so the OnePlus 7 would likely be among the second wave of 5G devices, potentially following Samsung, Sony and Huawei.

4. OPPO 5G FLAGSHIP

Oppo has already claimed to have made a successful connection between a 5G phone and 5G network.

A more recent addition to the 5G phone race is Oppo, with the Chinese maker confirming that it has successfully made a connection between a customised Oppo R15 smartphone and a 5G network.

And, while this connection was made in Oppo's 5G communication protocol laboratory, it is nonetheless a very positive sign that the maker now has a very firm grasp of incorporating the technology into its devices, paving the way for a fully commercial 2019 release.

This has been coming, too. In January 2018 Oppo finalised a deal with Qualcomm to use its components and technology in its devices, while in May 2018 it demonstrated the world's first 5G video call, too.

Taken together, this points to a March or April release date for Oppo's first 5G phone, a date based on the launch window of this year's Oppo R15.

5. HONOR 5G PHONE

Honor's President George Zhao has confirmed that the maker's first 5G phone will launch in 2019.

(Image: © Honor)

You don't get much more committed to launching a 5G phone in 2019 as when your president, in the case of Honor George Zhao, comes out and confirms it himself.

Indeed, Zhao is so confident in Honor's 5G plan that he also confirmed that the Chinese maker would be first to market with its 5G device, too, really laying down the gauntlet to rival makers.

No details about the Honor 5G smartphone have yet been revealed, or even leaked for that matter, but considering that Zhao says Honor will be first to market, that would seem to indicate that the maker would have to launch very early in 2019, perhaps in the  February-March slot that this year was filled with the Honor View 10.

We know that Honor is set to attend CES 2019 in Las Vegas in January, so hopefully more information will come to light then.

6. XIAOMI MI MIX 3

Confirmed in late October, the 5G Mi Mix 3 is set to be Xiaomi's first 5G phone.

The 5G Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 was confirmed in late October and, in the UK and Europe at least, is currently set for a Q1 2019 release date. This would put it near the front of the 5G smartphone release schedule, with the device likely to hit store shelves either just before or just after MWC 2019.

5G aside, the Mi Mix 3 already looks like a strong device, with a magnetically sliding 6.39-inch OLED display embedded in a sleek bezel-less design (93.4% screen-to-body ratio), and a suite of hardware that includes a maximum of 10GB of RAM and 256GM of storage space, as well as a dual rear camera system (24MP + 2MP).

Most excitedly for users looking to upgrade to a 5G phone next year is the smartphone's price, with the top-spec version thought to cost around £560. If the 5G Mi Mix 3 does launch in the UK and Europe, and it carries a price point in this ball park, it will therefore likely be one of the most affordable 5G phones on the market next year.

7. SONY XPERIA XZ4

The 2019 Sony Xperia should have 5G.

This year's Sony Xperia XZ3 has come and gone without 5G but we think it's almost certain that the Xperia XZ4 (or whatever it ends up being called) is going to have the super-fast technology.

"Smartphone innovation has always been at the core of Sony Mobile engineers. design philosophy," said Sony as it recently talked up its heritage of world firsts in smartphone technology.

It made these comments mere days after rival makers OnePlus and Huawei confirmed they were working on 5G phones.

A coincidence? We think not. 

In fact, going off what we know already about Sony's commitment to 5G, as well as Sony's track record, it does indeed look like at least one of the company's 2019 phones will feature 5G.

We've already heard a few rumours and hints trickle out: here's everything we know so far about the 5G Sony Xperia phone for 2019.

If it is to release the first 5G phone, potentially with a battery that can last an entire week, then it looks like Sony is going to be launching it before the end of February 2019, which is when the Samsung Galaxy S10 is slated for an unveiling.

8. NEW IPHONE (2019)

The iPhone XS and XS Max stick to 4G, but could next year's Apple flagship pack rapid 5G capabilities?

Now that we've got over the excitement of the iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max, and the iPhone XRarriving, it's time to turn our attention to what Apple might have planned for 2019 – and that might include a phone with 5G.

Unfortunately, right now, the latest reports indicate that apparently due to Apple's on-going feud with Qualcomm, it looks like its 2019 iPhones won't feature 5G. This is because the maker will instead have to source its phones' 5G modems from Intel, and these don't look like they will be available until 2020.

Now, it has to be said that Apple isn't usually a maker that adopts new technology first (even the iPhone X didn't come with LTE-Advanced, for example), so this may well be the strategy it adopts for its 5G devices — launch a year later when the market has settled down somewhat. 

But then again, considering the iPhone is due a major overhaul next year after 2018's iterative reworking, would it be too much of a risk to hold off on 5G until 2020? Every Android maker of note looks set to have a 5G device in 2019, so Apple may have its hand forced to stay competitive. Watch this space!

Samsung Galaxy X release date, price, rumors, leaks

Samsung Galaxy X release date, price, rumours, leaks, everything you need to know about the foldable smartphone

Samsung hopes to convince you to pay £1,000+ for an OLED display that folds-up like the pages of a paperback

Faced with increasingly tough competition from the likes of Huawei, Xiaomi, and OnePlus, Samsung is gearing up to unveil something entirely new in the form of a smartphone which has been nicknamed the Samsung Galaxy X. 

After months of speculation, whispers and leaks, Samsung finally offered a brief glimpse at what it has planned for this next-generation flagship handset during its annual Developer Conference in San Francisco on November 7, 2018: a folding phone.

Speaking at the conference, Justin Denison, SVP of Mobile Product Marketing, produced a prototype of the Galaxy X from his pocket to rapturous applause from the crowd. Although the phone itself doesn't have an official name yet, the flexible display does. 

Samsung is calling it the Infinity Flex Display.

The technology will not only be used for the so-called Galaxy X – or whatever it is called when it launches next year – mobile DJ Koh says the Infinity Flex Display will be used in a swathe of different devices, including more foldable tablets, and laptops.

Samsung clearly thinks its new technology will mark a massive change in the market.

Well, if you've cracked the engineering challenge of foldable screens – and it appears Samsung has – you might as well put them in everything. Folding 4K TVs, anyone?

Read on to find out everything we know about Samsung's folding smartphone so far.

• The top 5 foldable phones to expect in 2019
• These are the best smartphones you can buy now

It's a phone!

No, hang on – it's a tablet!

SAMSUNG GALAXY X FIRST LOOK

The foldable Galaxy X was unveiled at Samsung's Developer Conference held in the Moscone West convention centre in San Francisco on November 7, 2018.

Although we did technically get an early look at the smartphone in both its unfolded and folded forms, Justin Denison explained on stage "we've disguised some elements of the design but trust me, there's a device inside here and it is stunning."

That's good news because the Galaxy X didn't look particularly stylish when it was unveiled on-stage – with sharp, boxy corners and a chunky frame. It'll be interesting to see whether the finished article keeps the same design language used on the most recent Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Note handsets, including curved sides, centred rear-mounted camera and curved edges of the display.

Here's your first official look at the new handset in action.

SAMSUNG GALAXY X RELEASE DATE

Unfortunately, despite offering a fleeting glimpse at the pliable handset, no release date for the next-generation handset was revealed. However, Samsung SVP Denison did say "we'll be ready to start mass production in the coming months."

That tallies with the release date rumours leading up to the event – the Galaxy X won't launch until the first half of 2019. Samsung previously hinted its first foldable handset might be unveiled on-stage at CES 2019 in early January, or MWC 2019 in late February, two of the biggest technology expositions.

Well, it wasn't publicly shown at CES, though it did apparently get a private viewing, and we may not have to wait until MWC for our first look at the finished handset. That's because the latest leaks say that the Galaxy X will be unveiled on Wednesday 20 February 2019 at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked events in San Francisco and London. That's also the event where Samsung will launch its trio of Galaxy S10 smartphones, and perhaps its Galaxy Sport smartwatch, too.

But in terms of actually buying one? Immediately after the Unpacked reveal sounds a little optimistic. We're guessing a public release date of March/April 2018 at the earliest.

That gives you a bit of time to start saving because...

 SAMSUNG GALAXY X PRICE

The Samsung Galaxy X is not going to be cheap. Samsung declined to confirm the final price tag for the Galaxy X when it showed off the somewhat-disguised handset. However, one thing is for certain – this is going to be a very expensive gadget. 

According to a leaked report in the Korea Times, sources suggest this entirely-new category of folding handsets could mean paying a premium for the limited initial run of devices. As such, the Galaxy X priceis expected to be around the 2 million Korean won mark, which is about £1,365 – and that's beforetaxes.

Given the maxed-out Galaxy Note 9 already costs £1,099 ($1,249.99) – and that only has one screen – it would seem inevitable the next-generation folding smartphone will spiral even higher than that.

Californian technology firm Royole recently launched a folding phone, which sports a single, pliable OLED display – not the two that will be included on the Galaxy X, and that still topped £999 ($1,300).

So if you want the coolest smartphone of 2019, you'd better start saving for it.

SAMSUNG GALAXY X NAME

In absence of an official name for the folding phone, we're referring to it as the Samsung Galaxy X. Other names that have surfaced are the Samsung Galaxy F, the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Samsung Rize.

While Samsung Galaxy Fold seems feasible from a literal point of view, it also seems a bit too literal for it to be the final name. But we could be wrong and then maybe the Samsung Galaxy S10 will actually be called the Samsung Galaxy Doesn't Fold when it get announced.

SAMSUNG GALAXY X SCREEN

Samsung Galaxy X has two OLED displays, although only one has the ability to fold.

The front of the Galaxy X sports a 4.5-inch screen, known as the Cover Display. According to the South Korean firm, this OLED display will work in a similar fashion to existing Samsung handsets. Based on the heavily-disguised prototype unveiled on-stage during the developer conference, the Galaxy X appears to have chunky bezels at the top and bottom of the handset.

If you're looking for more screen real estate than is available with the 4.5-inch Cover Display, opening up the handset reveals a second screen that's almost twice the size.

The foldable 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Display unfurls like the pages of a paperback to offer a bigger screen when playing games, watching movies, or running up to three applications side-by-side – a new feature that is called "multi active window".

Apps that are running on the smaller 4.6-inch cover display when users unfold the larger tablet display will appear on the bigger screen in the same state you left them.

Updated software will expand to take full advantage of the larger display. For example, news aggregate Flipboard expanded from a single column view on the 4.6-inch display, to three columns when viewed on the 7.3-inch screen. Developers will have to update their software to take advantage of the changing display sizes.

"We've been living in a world where the size of your screen can only be as large as the device itself," Samsung SVP Denison revealed to developers at the conference. 

"Well, we've just added a new dimension. The Infinity Flex Display is the foundation for the smartphone of tomorrow."

He added that the phone can be folded “hundred of thousands of times” without getting damaged.

SAMSUNG GALAXY X SOFTWARE

How will the Galaxy X adapt to users swap between the Cover Display and the 7.3-inch folding tablet screen, and will applications move from one screen to the other seamlessly? That'll be just fine, Samsung has promised.

Samsung has overhauled its mobile OS ahead of the announcement of its foldable Galaxy X. Gone is TouchWiz – the Android skin designed by Samsung and used on its smartphone range since June 2010 – replaced instead with One UI.

"The Infinity Flex Display together with One UI delivers a new kind of mobile experience allowing users to do things they couldn’t do with an ordinary smartphone," Samsung said. "Users now have the best of both worlds: a compact smartphone that unfolds to reveal a larger immersive display for multitasking and viewing content. The app experience seamlessly transitions from the smaller display to the larger display as the device unfolds."

One UI will also enable the Samsung Galaxy X to run three apps simultaneously when in tablet mode, while the redesigned icons mean that "the rounded corner of our hardware is reflected in our software," according to Jee Won Lee, Senior Designer of UX Design at Samsung Mobile.

Following the announcement of the Galaxy X, Google confirmed plans to bake support for foldable displays into the Android operating system itself. Huawei, LG and Microsoft are all tipped to have a folding handset in the works.

In order to prevent the fragmentation of Android as each manufacturer designs and programs their own software solution for folding displays, Google has announced plans to build the functionality directly into the operating system itself.

Speaking during the Android Developer Summit in November, Google Vice President of Engineering Dave Burke said the company is “enhancing Android to take advantage of this new form factor with as little work as necessary.”

Google typically holds its annual developer conference, Google IO, in May. We'd bet our firstborn that the Mountain View-based company has plenty more about its optimisation for foldable handsets to share with software designers during IO 2019.

One UI will be tested on the Galaxy S9, S9+ and Note 9 in open beta, which should help to iron out any bugs before the launch of the Galaxy X.

You can read more about One UI and how to join the open beta – which is open to participants in the US, UK, India, China, South Korea, Germany, France, Spain and Poland – at Samsung's new One UI website.

SAMSUNG GALAXY X FEATURES

No features were shown off at the official Galaxy X debut in San Francisco.

However, Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh said previously revealed the long-awaited folding flagship will offer similar functionality to a tablet when the screen is unfurled, while the folding mechanism would allow the handset to be packed away to a portable and pocketable size.

In an interview with CNET, Koh talked about his ambitions for the new flagship phone, stressing that the foldability of the Galaxy X will not just be a gimmick, but will instead offer delicious new features and experiences for users.

Increasing the amount of screen real estate available on a smartphone is important, according to the Samsung chief. When the company first launched its Galaxy Note series back in October 2011, the 5.3-inch display was widely mocked for its size.

However, DJ Koh notes, after eight generations of the phablet, large-screen devices are now ubiquitous – with rival iPhone XS Max now offering a 6.5-inch display and Google Pixel 3 XL sporting a 6.3-inch screen.

"Possibly when we start selling the foldable phone, it may be a niche market, but definitely, it will expand," Koh said. "I'm positive that we do need a foldable phone."

"When we deliver a foldable phone, it has to be really meaningful to our customer," Koh revealed after the Galaxy A9 launch keynote earlier this year. "If the user experience is not up to my standard, I don't want to deliver those kind of products."

Interestingly, Samsung patents suggest Galaxy X will be compatible with its S Pen digital stylus – either the current Note one, or a new variant. That fits with rumours we've heard that the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note lines could merge next year.

Samsung patent

Other features that could be included, although we have no concrete idea, are all the ones mooted for the other 2019 Galaxy – the Samsung S10. So there might be 5G connectivity and an in-screen fingerprint reader... or there might not.

Given the amount of innovation already in the Galaxy X around its screen, Samsung might very well to keep the rest of the feature set more established.

That also goes for waterproofing: Samsung has mastered this on its other Galaxy phones, but getting it on a foldable display might prove tricky. One other thing that we hopefully will see is wireless charging, as once you've had that, it's hard to go back.

SAMSUNG GALAXY X BATTERY LIFE

The latest reports say that the Samsung Galaxy X will pack two 3,100mAh batteries, bringing the total capacity to 6,200mAh. That figure is more or less in line with an earlier report out of South Koreawhich said that the handset would have two batteries offering a combined capacity of around 6,000mAh. 

That's a massive amount of battery capacity – the Note 9 and the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus batteries are 4,000mAH and 3,500mAh respectively – but of course the Galaxy X has a massive amount of screen real estate to power.

So in terms of battery life that 6,200mAh number doesn't tell us a great deal. That will depend on how well Samsung manages to optimise the hardware and software for power usage (that's still a work in progress, apparently) and, of course, how often the phone user actually uses the full folded-out screen rather than the smaller screen on the outside of the handset.

Battery life will also be affected by the phone's connectivity: a 5G handset is going to be much more power-hungry than a 4G one, and we don't have confirmation on which of the Gs the Galaxy X will be packing.

SAMSUNG GALAXY X SPECS – RAM, STORAGE, AND CAMERA

With production already underway, the Galaxy X is tipped to be using the successor to the Snapdragon 845 to power everything. Saying that, this is a completely new design, so maybe Samsung will opt for something custom-made.

The question here is whether Samsung will go all out to add bells and whistles to its most innovative phone, or whether it has decided screen innovation is sufficient, and that buyers will be able to live with a more basic (though still high-powered) spec.

If it is charging well over £1,000 ($1,000) for the smartphone, you'd hope it was going down the bells and whistles route, though.

In terms of RAM, we might see 4GB-6GB installed, and the usual 64GB and 128GB storage options, although 256GB must be a possibility, assuming it can be made to fit. That lines up with the rumours we've been hearing for the other Samsung phones due to launch in 2019.

One component that could suffer is the camera – cramming the tech into a flexible or folding phone isn't going to be easy. Considering Samsung makes some of the best smartphone cameras in the business, though, we're hoping it can figure something out here.

We're looking forward to seeing more of Samsung's folding screen tech and we have a feeling that Huawei already has a response planned...