Verizon and Samsung to release 5G smartphone in the U.S. in first half of 2019

NEW YORK – Verizon and Samsung announced their plan to bring one of the first commercial 5G smartphones to market in the first half of 2019. The companies will unveil a proof of concept, powered by the upcoming flagship Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ Mobile Platform with the Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem and antenna modules with integrated RF transceiver, RF front-end and antenna elements, at the annual Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui this week. This is the result of years of collaboration to deploy an end-to-end solution for commercial 5G services using Samsung network equipment and personal devices.

5G mobility service will provide massive bandwidth, greater opportunities for connectivity and improved network reliability. When fully implemented, it will offer capacity and download speed many times faster than today’s 4G LTE network. Along with network latency that is faster than the blink of an eye.

"5G will usher in a new era of mobile connectivity, allowing people to connect to data, experiences and other people in ways never thought possible,” said Brian Higgins, vice president, wireless device and product marketing at Verizon. “Together, Samsung and Verizon have made huge gains in bringing 5G commercial services to consumers in several cities. Now, we’re partnering to create a smartphone to put the power of 5G in the palm of your hand.”

Verizon launched the world’s first commercial 5G service in October when 5G Home went live in Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles and Sacramento.

Verizon 5G mobility service will go live in early 2019 and expand rapidly. Once available, Samsung 5G smartphone users will immediately benefit from the speed and capacity of Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, and over time, experience all the new and exciting services, games and features that will be available.

Verizon – first to 5G

Today’s announcement is the culmination of a year of 5G firsts for Verizon, including the opening of 5G Labs in New York, Cambridge, MA and Washington, DC, the first ever 5G NR call made on a commercial network, the first over-the-air data transmission on a commercial 5G NR network, and, most importantly, the launch of Verizon 5G Home – the world’s first 5G home broadband internet service.