Nokia has hinted at plans to release a 5G phone that could be half the price of competing 5G models.
The wink and nudge came from HMD Global chief product officer Juho Sarvikas, and we really hope the firm comes good on his suggestion.
Related: What is 5G?
“I would love to see us at half of the price where you have 5G today,” Sarvikas told Digital Trends this week. With 5G phones like the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G clocking in at £1099, a £500 5G Nokia could go some way to making those super-fast speeds accessible to a lot more people.
Sarvikas explained that the company has been “working closely” with silicon vendors, as well as with Nokia’s own 5G services, for a possible 2020 release. The manufacturer has also been in talks with US carriers, and it seems likely that Nokia’s 5G handset will be tied to a particular network.
Fortunately for those of us that can’t afford to drop £1000 on a 5G handset, Nokia isn’t the only brand that’s looking at making 5G handsets cheaper.
Related: 5G phones
In July, we heard that Samsung was testing the 5G connection on its mid-range A line, and earlier this month Xiaomi accidentally leaked its own affordable 5G phone, an upgraded version of the £399 budget Mi 9 handset.
2020 could bring a big wave of mid-range 5G handsets, thanks to MediaTek’s first 5G SoC.
Read our review of the Nokia 7 Plus
Still, if HMD can pull off a decent 5G smartphone at half the price of the handsets we’re seeing now, it would be a huge step in the right direction. At the moment, 5G phones are very much for early adopters. We look forward to hearing more about what Nokia will bring to the table at Mobile World Congress in February next year.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.