The Samsung Galaxy S10 launches next month, and all signs point to a 5G version of the phone being there, too. But it might not come to all US carriers at first.
It's the bigger Galaxy S10 Plus we're talking about today, and it's set to get faster 5G speeds with 'maxed out' specs – if you're using Verizon, says Max Weinbach of XDA Developers.
We covered his tweets about key Galaxy S10 specs, including the RAM, storage, and camera leaks, but Weinbach also goes into a little more detail about the 5G version.
He notes Verizon won Samsung's bidding war for the 5G Galaxy S10 Plus, though he adds "not sure how long this lasts." Other carriers like AT&T surely want in too.
Exclusives are the pricey path to 5G
Carriers want 5G bragging rights, especially in the US and especially when it comes to a top-tier smartphone maker like Samsung.
It's much a better business decision for a company like Samsung to sell its 5G phone to single carrier because it'll be expensive to make and mass produce. A phone that's more expensive than the max-out Note 9 isn't going to be the most popular.
That means the 5G Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus may be more about boasting than it is about getting 5G into the hands of everyday consumers. It's going to take some time for mass adoption.
As we learned from the forthcoming Verizon-bound Moto Z3 5G add-on, the 5G revolution is coming in 2019, making for thicker, expensive, and more power-hungry smartphones that are, so far, exclusive to Verizon.
