Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh has been quoted as saying that the South Korean giant will not bring 5G support to the Galaxy S10 and will instead focus on a “5G dedicated” smartphone. Koh also dismissed rumors of a Galaxy S and Galaxy Note range merger and reaffirmed its interest in releasing a foldable phone.
It seems like every year we see reports out of Korea that Samsung is considering merging its two main smartphone families before the rumor is eventually put to bed as pure speculation. Right on cue, Samsung’s DJ Koh has denied fresh claims that the Galaxy S and Note series’ will be folded into each other while also addressing speculation surrounding the Galaxy S10 and the advent of 5G phones.
In a tweet, ubiquitous Samsung leaker Ice Universe quotes the South Korean giant’s mobile chief as saying that any word of a merger is pure rumor and that the Note range — recently updated with the Galaxy Note 9 — will not be disappearing any time soon.
DJ Koh also reportedly addressed the current hot topic of foldable phones, but merely confirmed what we all already know: Samsung will launch a foldable phone at some point in the future.
Koh was also bullish about the company’s position in the global smartphone market, stating that it won’t be giving up its top spot despite Huawei’s recent rise to second place.
The most interesting part of the tweet, however, is the news that the next Galaxy S flagship will not support 5G technology. In a follow-up tweet, Ice Universe relays Koh’s statements on 5G, which you can read in the embed below:
Considering just last week we heard that Samsung has committed $22 billion to the development of 5G, among other future technologies like AI, it shouldn’t be too surprising to hear that Samsung has big plans for next-generation mobile tech.
What is interesting, though, is the insinuation that Samsung considered 5G support but came across technical issues, with the company instead looking towards a “dedicated” 5G smartphone instead of debuting the technology via the next S range phone. Of course Samsung could still launch 5G with the Galaxy S11 (or whatever the next-next-generation S series phone is called) and make that the company’s “5G dedicated” phone, but that could potentially mean pushing back a headline-worthy feature for another whole year.
Could Samsung’s mythical foldable phone also offer 5G support? Time will tell, but it seems like you definitely scratch 5G off your S10 feature wishlist.
Up next: Huawei fires shot at Galaxy Note 9, hints at “real upgrades” for Mate 20 series
