Cheap Android phones continue to get better and better. Just last week, Motorola announced the launch of its new G04 device which gets decent features such as a 90Hz screen, Dolby Atmos audio and dual-lens camera. It’s impressive stuff for such a low price but one thing all budget phones lack is access to blisteringly quick 5G data speeds.
To receive that latest mobile network technology you’ll need to splash out at least £150 to get a device such as Samsung’s Galaxy A15 5G or Nokia G42 5G. Luckily, things are about to change with 5G looking set to finally arrive on sub £100 devices later this year.
US technology firm Qualcomm, which makes Snapdragon chips and modems for smartphones is planning to work with manufacturers this year to bring $99 (£79) 5G devices to market.
The company won’t reveal any more details just yet but it did confirm the news during Mobile World Congress (MWC) last week.
Qualcomm says that bringing 5G to cheaper devices it will allow an additional 2.8 billion to gain access to this technology.
“Driving the industry forward, yet leaving no one behind. Gigabit 5G smartphones for $99 coming in 2H 2024,” Qualcomm confirmed.
For those not aware, 5G is the very latest signal offered by all of the UK’s biggest mobile networks.
This upgrade not only lets consumers download files and films at much faster speeds but also gets a more reliable signal when at crowded places such as football stadiums and packed train stations.
Current 4G can’t cope as well when things get overcrowded, it also is nowhere near as quick with 5G able to push through 300Mbps – that’s over four times faster than most people’s home broadband.
We’ll have to wait and see exactly who joins the budget 5G party but it appears that getting this new technology could finally be a lot more affordable
Along with announcing that budget 5G update, there’s also something better coming to flagship devices as well. Qualcomm revealed its latest Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System at MWC which will boost data connections when out on the road.
This new technology features “revolutionary AI innovations” that will improve data speeds, latency, quality of service (QoS), coverage, location accuracy, spectrum efficiency, power efficiency and multi-antenna management.
Basically, it should mean your 5G signal is more reliable, faster and will suck less power from the battery.
“The Snapdragon X80 modem-RF system sets the stage for 5G Advanced and the era of intelligent computing everywhere,” said Durga Malladi, senior vice president and general manager, technology planning and edge solutions, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc..
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