This story is part of our continuing coverage of CES 2020, including tech and gadgets from the showroom floor.
5G is about to take over in 2020, and Verizon is preparing by releasing 20 5G capable devices this year.
The phone carrier told CNET at CES that it will launch 20 5G devices in 2020 that would cost anywhere from under $600 to about $800.
Right now, Verizon has only four 5G capable phones: The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, the Galaxy Note 10 5G, the Moto Z3, the Moto Z4, and the LG V50 ThinQ 5G. Verizon subscribers who want 5G need to pay an additional $10 on top of their current unlimited data plan.
The announcement comes as Verizon has already expanded its 5G coverage to even more cities this year. Right now, Verizon 5G is available in 30 cities: From bigger hubs like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City to smaller urban areas like Hoboken, New Jersey; Des Moines Iowa; and Providence, Rhode Island.
Verizon leads the pack in 5G coverage compared to the other big carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. AT&T is currently available in 21 cities, with plans to add more. T-Mobile and Sprint, which will soon merge to become one major carrier, are in 11 cities combined.
Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg has said that 5G “has the potential to be one of the most transformative technologies that we’ve seen in a long time,” and we have to agree with him.
This new mobile broadband is replacing 4G connections and promises to have faster downloads and upload speeds for improved web browsing and in-app experiences. Communication between mobile networks will also have increased speeds. Verizon is initially deploying its 5G network on millimeter wave spectrum (mmWave), which has its challenges, but overall, it is expected to provide impeccable speeds with low latency.
Digital Trends reached out to Verizon to see what brands of phones would be rolled out with 5G capabilities this year. We’ll update this story once we hear back.
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