Just when you thought 5G phones couldn’t get much cheaper, Samsung announces the Galaxy A22 5G, which will be available in the U.K. in the near future for 209 British pounds, or about $295 at the current conversion rate. To put its price into context, the Samsung Galaxy A32 5G costs 250 pounds/$352, while in the U.S., the Galaxy A32 5G is $280.
What do you get? The Galaxy A22 5G has a 6.6-inch TFT screen with a 90Hz refresh rate and a Full HD+ resolution, plus a triple camera on the back with a 48-megapixel main camera, a 5MP ultra-wide, and a 2MP depth camera. The selfie camera has 8MP and is set inside a V-shaped notch at the top of the screen. This is a cheap phone so it’s no surprise to find the A22 5G is made of plastic, but so is the Galaxy A52 5G, and that feels great in the hand.
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There’s a fingerprint sensor set inside the power button on the side of the phone, and a 5,000mAh battery inside with 15W charging. There is only one version of the phone available, and that comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space. Like many of the other low-cost 5G phones announced recently, the Galaxy A22 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor, which based on my time with the Realme 8 5G, provides great performance.
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The Galaxy A22 5G has Android 11 with Samsung’s OneUI 3.1 user interface and comes in a choice of three colors — grey, white, or violet. It’s a chunky thing though, with a total weight of 202 grams and 9mm thickness. Samsung says the Galaxy A22 5G will be available in the U.K. in early summer but does not mention a U.S. release. We’ve contacted Samsung to confirm any launch plans for the U.S. and will update when we hear back.
Reasonably priced smartphones with 5Gare becoming commonplace, with multiple companies launching models that cost less than the equivalent of $300 over the last months, including Xiaomi, Realme, and Poco. It’s a trend we expect to continue throughout the year, driven by chips like the MediaTek Dimensity 700 and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480.
Have T-Mobile? Your 5G service is about to get much faster
T-Mobile’s 5G network already offers unmatched 5G speeds and coverage throughout the U.S., with 98% of the population covered by some flavor of T-Mobile’s 5G and more than 90% benefiting from its higher-speed 5G Ultra Capacity (5G UC) network.
That translates to the “Uncarrier” taking first place in 5G performance in 46 U.S. states. However, T-Mobile isn’t content to sit at 90% coverage. It’s been working steadily to increase the footprint of its 5G UC network to reach even further, and is bringing those top speeds to areas previously served only by its lower-frequency 5G Extended Range network.
A ‘Massive 5G Boost’
Your next phone could get a huge 5G upgrade, thanks to AI
It’s that time of year again when Qualcomm ushers in its next generation of 5G modem technology. Announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC ) 2024, this year’s Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF system is the successor to last year’s Snapdragon X75, and it builds on the 5G Advanced foundation laid last year with more raw power and new AI features.
While the Snapdragon X75 moved the needle by adding support for the latest 5G Advanced standards, we’re still in that fourth phase of 5G technology, otherwise known as 3GPP Release 18 — and most carrier networks are still catching up. So, with no new standards to embrace, Qualcomm has focused on improving the inside of the Snapdragon X80 to take even fuller advantage of these cutting-edge 5G technologies.
The magic of AI-powered 5G
This tiny dongle will change 5G connectivity forever
TCL is having a busy start to 2024. First, it announced a staggering number of new smartphones and two new tablets at CES, and now it’s unveiling something else at MWC 2024 — one of the world’s first 5G dongles that takes advantage of the latest power-efficient 5G standards.
TCL Mobile’s Linkkey IK511 is a pocketable new 5G adapter that’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X35 5G Modem-RF system, which debuted last year as the first 5G modem to support the new NR-Light “RedCap” standard.
5G for everyone, everything, everywhere
TCL Linkkey IK511 TCL
