12 March 2024 , 08:30
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You don’t have to spend a fortune these days to get very decent Android phones on a budget. Samsung has just announced the release of its new A Series devices which pack impressive features for under £390 and fledgling tech brand Nothing has also launched its new 2a which costs half the price of a flagship.
These are solid smartphones but they still cost more than some might want to spend.
There are, of course, much cheaper devices that start from under £100 but these phones do have a disadvantage as none come with 5G. Take the new Moto G04 for example. This top-notch device gets a 90Hz screen, impressive speakers and premium-looking design but it can only access the standard 4G network. That’s the same for all current sub-£100 Android phones.
Luckily, things are about to change with 5G looking set to finally arrive on very cheap call makers.
US technology firm Qualcomm, which makes popular Snapdragon processors and modems for phones has confirmed that it is planning to work with manufacturers this year to bring $99 (£79) 5G devices to market.
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The company won’t reveal any more details just yet but it did confirm the news during Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona late last month
“Driving the industry forward, yet leaving no one behind. Gigabit 5G smartphones for $99 coming in 2H 2024,” Qualcomm confirmed.
Qualcomm says that bringing 5G to cheaper devices will allow an additional 2.8 billion to gain access to this technology.
What is 5G and why is it important?
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.