Mobile World Congress is just around the corner, and with it will come a slew of new smartphone launches. Among those new phones will be the world’s very first 5G handsets (and phones with 5G enabled via big plastic bricks slapped on the back), and we know a few things about them. Namely: they’re going to be expensive, and for a good long while you might struggle to even find a place to utilize any of that 5G capability. Oh, and they’re also probably going to be covered in super tacky branding.
That all said, the phones will come, and we know Samsung, LG, OnePlus, and Motorola are all on-board. Doubtless more 5G phones will be announced later this year, and most in the US (which is where almost all 5G phones will launch in 2019) will probably be carrier exclusives or at the very least only compatible with one 5G network. Being the first to trial a new technology can understandably tempt the nerds inside us all, even when that technology may not be fully ready or even usable in a practical sense when it intially becomes available. Some people may also talk themselves into buying one of these early 5G phones as “future-proofing,” I suppose. (Which – if you ask me – is a very bad idea, considering these first phones will work only with a very limited definition of 5G on a very limited number of networks, and you’ll pay a very substantial premium for the experience.)
Still, carriers are obviously expecting some people to buy these handsets, which we know for all but a certainty will be launching throughout the year. Do you plan to buy one of these first-generation 5G phones? Vote below and sound off in the comments about your thoughts on 5G.
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