Samsung is reportedly prepping its first affordable 5G phone for the US
5G mobile networks and smartphones supporting the next standard in cellular connectivity may not be as widespread just yet in the US as some folks expected, but 2020 is already shaping up to be the year vastly improved download speeds and significantly lower latency go mainstream.
In order for that to happen, of course, we need device manufacturers to play their part in making the technology more accessible to the masses. That means cheaper handsets with 5G capabilities sold nationwide rather than just extravagant flagships made available exclusively on this or that carrier.
While it's probably unrealistic to expect Samsung to compete with the likes of TCL or Coolpad on the price of its non-flagship 5G phones this year, we can definitely count on the Galaxy A71 5G to substantially undercut the Galaxy S10 5G and Note 10+ 5G when it eventually reaches the US. For the time being, no such 5G-enabled variant of the 6.7-inch A71 has been unveiled anywhere around the world, but the folks over at SamMobile are confident the handset is right around the corner.
We even know its SM-A716U and SM-A716U1 model numbers for the US market, strongly suggesting not one but two 5G-capable versions will be released stateside in the near future.
One of those two should be unlocked for use across more than one 5G network, while the other is likely to hit one carrier exclusively. Given that Verizon is going all in on millimeter wave technology, we suspect Samsung will need to design a special edition of the Galaxy A71 5G for the nation's largest wireless service provider, building the other one with as much support for AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint 5G networks as possible.
Obviously, that's just a guess on our part (as well as a pretty ideal scenario), but what's important to take away from this report is that Samsung has concrete plans (at least allegedly) to release a 5G phone stateside at (well) below $1,000. Even better, the company is purportedly working on a 5G-enabled variant of the lower-end Galaxy A51 as well, and that's also likely to come to the US sooner or later.
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