AI was the hottest trend in 2018, but now 2019 and 5G will be the buzzword. All major manufacturers are going for the gigabit speeds, including Xiaomi, which is planning to introduce Mi Mix 3 5G around late February.
This is when MWC 2019 is happening, and according to industry sources from South Korea, domestic players Samsung and LG are also going to be delivering 5G-enabled phones then. Both companies will demo their units during the conference, along with other expected phones.
Samsung is preparing for the anniversary of its Galaxy flagships and the Galaxy S10 is going to arrive in at least three versions, the most powerful variant with four cameras on the back and two more on the front under the screen. Sources say the Samsung 5G phone will be separate from the series, probably starting a new line in the product portfolio.
LG is neither launching new series nor introducing a completely new phone. Its 5G device will be an updated LG G7 ThinQ, probably called LG G7+ ThinQ 5G or similar, similar to the LG V30S ThinQ update that happened last year at MWC. An industry official said the Korean company aims to “make a turnaround for the smartphone business in 2020, taking the 5G introduction as a new opportunity.”
