By Rachit Agarwal, Editor, Beebom
Every year, all the major smartphone releases follow an underlying theme. 2018 was the year of punch-holed and notched displays, while in 2019, smartphone manufacturers focused on multiple-cameras, computational photography, and other AI features. And if you consider all the smartphone leaks and rumors, it’s clear that 2020 is the year of 5G smartphones. Both mobile carriers and smartphone makers alike have been pushing the 5G network. And MWC feels like the right stage for companies to showcase their best 5G smartphones.
We already know that Huawei, Xiaomi, LG, Vivo, and others are going to announce their flagship devices with 5G connectivity at MWC. I am sure this list is going to get bigger as we get closer to the event. On the other side, mobile operators like Verizon, T-Mobile, Telefónica, Vodafone, and others are testing and deploying the 5G network to support the upcoming phones and connected devices. While the EU lagged in the 5G race when compared to Asia and the US, thanks to a strict timeline (5G coverage in all urban areas by 2025) set by European Commission, it is catching up.
This is good news. 4G may be good enough to interconnect people. But, if we want to interconnect and control machines, objects, and other connected devices, we need 5G. So, expect to see a ton of 5G related tech at MWC this year. I for one am excited about this. While I know that the complete deployment of 5G is still years ahead, we cannot ignore the potential benefits of 5G connectivity. We are heading towards a future that will be dominated by IoT devices, and 5G is the backbone that will empower it. From smart glasses that will identify people online in an instant to always-connected self-driving cars to smarter cities to rescue drones, everything will need the faster speed, larger capacity, and lower latency that comes with the 5G network. So embrace this new wave of 5G smartphones as they are here to propel us into the future.
Beebom is also going to be at MWC, so make sure to follow them to get the latest MWC news.
