Samsung has made a big deal about being the biggest vendor of 5G smartphones. It shipped 74 percent of all 5G smartphones in the US last year. The company certainly wants to maintain that lead and extend it in other markets as well. That's why it was surprising to see that the Galaxy Z Flip, its latest and greatest foldable smartphone, didn't support 5G.
However, it appears that Samsung may have decided not to offer the 5G Galaxy Z Flip initially. We hear that the company does indeed have a 5G variant of the Galaxy Z Flip and that it could be launched later this year.
5G Galaxy Z Flip is in the pipeline
Samsung has made no secret of the fact that it wants to release more 5G phones in 2020. Support for the next-gen network isn't just limited to its flagship phones anymore as it has already trickled down to more affordable models. Samsung is even working on a 5G variant of the Galaxy A51. The company wants to bring its 5G devices to more than 40 countries this year.
The Galaxy Z Flip's 3,300mAh battery is certainly small in comparison to the chunky batteries you get in Samsung's Galaxy S20 lineup but as we pointed out in our Galaxy Z Flip review, it's more than capable of getting you through the day. Perhaps Samsung initially wanted to hold off on the 5G variant as a way to manage expectations for the device's battery life. Offering the LTE variant only would have also enabled the company to make the starting price for this device as low as possible.
This meant that customers who were drawn to the device because of its striking design and unique form factor would have been more compelled to purchase it without having to worry about the battery life and a higher price tag. When it ultimately releases a 5G variant now, it will most likely be looking for customers who didn't purchase the Galaxy Z Flip just because it didn't have 5G.
It also goes without saying that the 5G variant will only be made available in limited markets where public 5G networks are live. No word as yet on when Samsung is planning on launching the 5G Galaxy Z Flip and how much it's going to cost, but we'll let you know as soon as we find out.
