SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea launches the world’s first fully-fledged 5G mobile networks Friday, a transformational leap that already has superpowers sparring for control of an innovation that could potentially change the day-to-day lives of billions of people.
The superfast communications heralded by fifth-generation wireless technology will ultimately underpin everything from toasters to telephones; from electric cars to power grids.
But while the South has won the race to be first to provide the user experience, that is only one part of a wider battle that has pit the United States against China and ensnared giants including Huawei.
Hyper-wired South Korea has long had a reputation for technical prowess, and Seoul has made the 5G rollout a priority as it seeks to stimulate stuttering economic growth.
The system will bring smartphones near-instantaneous connectivity -- 20 times faster than the existing 4G -- allowing users to download entire movies in less than a second.
In the same way that 3G enabled widespread mobile web access and 4G made new applications work ranging from social media to Uber, 5G will herald a new level of connectivity, empowered by speed.
It is crucial for the future development of devices ranging from self-driving vehicles that send data traffic to one another in real time, industrial robots, drones and other elements of the Internet of Things.
That makes it a vital part of the infrastructure of tomorrow, and the 5G standard is expected to bring about $565 billion in global economic benefits by 2034, according to the London-based Global System for Mobile Communications, an industry alliance.
ONE MILLION DEVICES
But the implications have pitted Washington against Beijing in an increasingly bitter standoff.
The US has pressed its allies and major economies to avoid 5G solutions from Chinese-owned telecom giant Huawei, citing security risks that technological backdoors could give Beijing access to 5G-connected utilities and other components.
But Chinese firms dominate 5G technology.
Huawei, the global leader, has registered 1,529 5G patents, according to data analysis firm IPlytics.
Combined with manufacturers ZTE and Oppo, plus the China Academy of Telecommunications Technology, Chinese entities own a total of 3,400 patents, it says -- more than a third of the total.
South Korea comes next, with its companies holding 2,051 patents.
In contrast, US firms have 1,368 altogether, IPlytics said -- 29 fewer than Finland's Nokia alone.
All three of South Korea's mobile networks -- KT, SK Telecom and LG UPlus go live with their 5G services.
"5G's hyper speed can connect one million devices within a one square kilometer zone simultaneously," KT said in a report.
On the same day, Samsung Electronics will release the Galaxy S10 5G, the world's first available smartphone using the tech, with rival LG following with the V50s two weeks later.
COST BARRIER
More than 3 million South Koreans will switch to 5G by the end of this year, predicted KT vice-president Lee Pil-jae.
Until now, no mobile networks have offered nationwide 5G access. In the US, hotspots in a few selected cities have offered 5G speeds but over WiFi only, while Qatari firm Ooredoo says it offers 5G services in and around Doha, but does not have devices available to use them.
US network carrier Verizon will launch fifth-generation services for mobile users in Chicago and Minneapolis next week, with more than 30 cities due to follow this year.
Japan is also expected to roll out a limited deployment in 2019 before full services start in time for next year's Tokyo Olympics.
But cost is likely to be a barrier for user uptake initially, analysts say: the cheapest version of the new Galaxy handset will be 1.39 million won ($1,200).
"While there are many cheap 4G smartphones under $300, Samsung's 5G phones are well over $1,000, which could be a major minus point for cost-savvy consumers," a KT representative told AFP.
None of South Korea's three network operators would say how much they have invested in 5G -- but Seoul's economy minister Hong Nam-ki put it at at least $2.6 billion this year alone.
"If 5G is fully implemented," he said, "it will greatly improve people's lives".
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA -- Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, sought to arrest plateauing sales with an overhaul of its flagship S line, unveiled globally on Thursday.
The Galaxy S10, S10 Plus and a lower priced S10 E were unveiled in San Francisco, California as Samsung attempted to lure premium consumers from Apple while fighting off competition from Chinese firms, including world number 2, Huawei.
The Galaxy S10 series retained the curved edges and shaved off the top and bottom bezels almost entirely, with the front-facing cameras housed in a tiny cutout.
The S10 Plus has a 6.4-inch screen with a 90-percent screen to body ratio. The S10 has a 6.1-inch panel while the S10 E has a 5.8-inch panel.
The S10 line is the first Samsung phones to ship with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The company said its "ultrasonic" technology will work even with oily and damp fingers.
The S10 and S10 Plus have three rear cameras with wide shooting capability to capture landscapes and group shots. The phones can shoot video in ultra-high definition and HDR 10+. The cheaper S10E has dual rear cameras.
The S10's back, given gradient paint jobs this time, can wirelessly charge other phones and other devices including Samsung's answer to Apple's AirPods. The S10 Plus is powered by a 4,100 mAh cell
The S10 and S10 Plus will come with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, with the option to have 12GB of RAM and 1TB storage in the larger model. The S10E will have 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
The S10 white will be available in white for all models, black for the S10 and S10 Plus, green for the S10 Plus and Ceramic Black for the 1TB model.
Pre-orders will start on Friday and will run until March 3. The Galaxy S10 phones will be available on March 8.
COOLING SALES
The innovation would be arriving on a global smartphone scene that has cooled as the devices become ubiquitous and buyers put off upgrading from models they own.
"The industry is in flat to declines and we've reached a saturation point of smartphones," said Moor Insights and Strategy principal analyst Patrick Moorhead.
"What Samsung needs to do, no different from Apple, is give people a reason to get rid of a phone that might be perfectly fine for something different."
The argument for a phone that can fold open to provide a larger screen is an easy one - buyers have shown a preference for "more real estate" to watch videos, play games, work, and more.
Samsung was mocked when it introduced large-screen Note phones, only to wind up giving rise to a "phablet" trend that rivals followed.
"I am expecting there to be trade-offs," Moorhead said of a Samsung foldable phone.
"You can't take leading-edge technology and fold it, and have it not be thicker."
Along with perhaps being a bit clunky, a folding phone could come with a lofty price of $1,500 or so, but the point for Samsung is not to sell truckloads of the handsets but to establish a new category to kindle demand in a global market devoid of growth, according to the analyst.
"Samsung always does better when they have something that Apple doesn't have that is valuable to consumers," Moorhead said.
"This is Samsung's opportunity to take some premium market share from Apple."
GOOGLE ON BOARD
Apple has revealed no sign of pursuing folding screens for iPhones. The Cupertino-based company has stressed efforts to ramp up sales of digital content and services to devotees of its devices.
"I do believe Apple will have a foldable screen at some point, but will wait until they perfect the experience," Moorhead said.
Google has made it clear that it is working to adapt its free Android mobile operating system to Samsung's folding screens so video, apps, and more perform as desired when displays change sizes.
The incentive for Samsung and Google goes beyond what is shown off at Unpacked.
While Samsung is the top smartphone maker in the world, the company makes a lot of money selling components such as screens and chips to other consumer electronics companies.
Igniting a folding-screen craze in smartphones would make Samsung a natural prime supplier of such displays.
Android software is the most widely used mobile operating system, giving Google incentive to ride a folding phone wave.
Samsung is opening three US retail stores to promote its Galaxy line of smartphones.
The move ramps up Samsung's efforts to compete on the home turf of Apple, which has hundreds of retail outlets in the US and around the world.
Samsung remained the number one global handset maker with a 20.8 percent share in 2018 despite an eight percent sales slump for the year, according to research firm IDC -- which said last year showed the worst overall decline in sales for the smartphone sector.
Still, analysts don't see the sun setting any time soon on the smartphone era, seen as a must-have device for many people around the world.
"Mobile phones are here to stay," said Gartner analyst Werner Goertz said, while suggesting that consumers may be waiting for radical innovation in handsets.
"Foldable phones would represent a really nice disruptive feature," he said.
GlobalData research director Avi Greengart believes foldable phones will be a big trend this year.
He was among analysts that expected the challenge to folding smartphones to be on the software side, not with the displays, since applications will have to be designed to adapt to going from phone to tablet screen sizes.
-- with a report from Agence France-Presse
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA -- Samsung will unveil its 10th generation Galaxy S device on Wednesday, as it defends its status as the world's largest smartphone maker in the face of rising Chinese rivals and slowing sales.
The Galaxy S10 is expected to have even smaller top and bottom bezels compared to its predecessor and a tiny cutout on the screen for the front-facing camera aside from memory, processor and camera upgrades.
Samsung is also expected to talk up its folding display during the S10 event, where it said it would "unfold" the future of mobile. It unveiled its "infinity flex" in November last year.
The top-tier S10 Plus is tipped to have triple rear cameras and dual lenses on the front according to leaks leading up to the official announcement in San Francisco California at 3 a.m. Thursday Manila time.
It will be the first major redesign of the Galaxy S line since 2016's Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, Last year's Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus kept the look of the phone largely unchanged and put dual shooters on the back of the larger model.
This year's crop of mobile devices will be among the first to support the 5G standard, which promises to be faster than 4G.
While 2018 was an iterative year for the Galaxy S line, Samsung's Chinese rivals pushed hardware and design boundaries.
Huawei put 3 cameras on the rear of its P20 Pro which came in a color-shifting glass shell. Oppo and Vivo put motorized pop-up selfie cameras on the Find X and NEX, respectively, while Xiaomi revived the slider form factor with the Mi Mix 3.
Samsung put 4 rear cameras on the Galaxy A9, which was released in late 2018, providing a preview of the unannounced Galaxy S10's photo capabilities.
Arch-rival Apple, kept the design of its 10th generation iPhone X for the iPhone Xs released in late 2018. It also released a "Max" model with a large 6.5-inch screen.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
MANILA -- Samsung's Galaxy S10 will likely have thinner bezels and a tiny cutout for the front-facing camera, according to a leaked image posted Friday on Twitter.
Tech journalist Evan Blass, who has leaked accurate images of Samsung's S series phones since 2016 as well as a host of other devices, released the image.
The S10 series is poised to be the biggest redesign of Samsung's flagship line since the S8 series from 2017 heralded tall displays with curved sides and small top and bottom bezels.
It is expected to have improved cameras and a faster processor and an in-display fingerprint sensor, according to reports.
Samsung has avoided large notches or cutouts at the top of its phone screens, which Apple brought to the mainstream with 2017's iPhone X.
At a developer's conference last year, Samsung unveiled tiny cutout variants on its screens as well as a foldable phone display.
Samsung also released the Galaxy A9 with 4 rear cameras.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
