According to Koh, there will be a ’separate‘ smartphone released that will carry the torch as Samsung’s first 5G mobile device.
At the Galaxy Note 9 unveil last week, Samsung Mobile President DJ Koh confirmed that the Galaxy S10 will not have integrated 5G wireless capabilities. According to Koh, there will be a „separate“ smartphone released that will carry the torch as Samsung’s first 5G mobile device. Although he did not expound upon the 5G remarks, it’s a possibility that Samsung might reserve 5G for the Galaxy Note 10 when it launches around this time next year.
Another possibility is that the upcoming “ Galaxy X “ folding smartphone could be Samsung’s first smartphone with 5G connectivity. That device has been rumored for years, and Samsung recently has been more willing to talk on-the-record about the Galaxy X.
According to Koh, Samsung is „focusing on developing innovations that will be genuinely accepted and liked by consumers“ and that it doesn’t want to „lose the world’s-first title“ when it comes to a foldable smartphone. As we reported late last month, Huawei is allegedly looking to steal Samsung’s thunder with its own folding smartphone.
„Huawei’s planned volume could be limited to some 20,000 to 30,000 units, or even less, for a small group of first-wave adopters,“ the Nikkei Asian Review reported in July. „The effort is mainly to demonstrate its technology capability and to attract the industry’s attention and media coverage.“
Samsung has been losing market share to Chinese OEMs like Huawei and Xiaomi, so the last thing it wants is to have the wind taken out of the sails of its Galaxy X launch.
As for the reports about the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note families merging into one due to poor sales, Koh says that the reports are flat out wrong. „For the immediate future, there won’t be a change in launching the S series in the first half and Note series in the second half of the year.“
