According to a report coming from South Korea, Samsung won’t be able to hit the 300 million phone sales mark this year and it’s going to be the first time in nine years. It is estimated that the manufacturer will likely reach 270 million shipments.
At the end of the third quarter of 2020, Samsung confirmed 189 million phones shipped, which is still a pretty good number given the raging pandemic this year. Still, the company has set a goal to hit 307 million units in 2021 by expanding its mid-range and low-end 5G smartphone lineup and promoting its foldable models more.
About 287 million units are going to be smartphones, while the rest are expected to be feature phones. Of those 287 million smartphones, almost 50 million are likely going to be flagship models.
Specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra were detailed last week, and now the S21 and S21+ have also got the same treatment, leaving little to the imagination.
The S21 and S21+ will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC in the US and have an Exynos 2100 chipset at the helm in Europe. Both smartphones will boot Android 11 with One UI 3.1, have 8GB RAM onboard, and come with two storage options – 128GB and 256GB. But neither of them is likely to come with a microSD card slot for storage expansion.
The vanilla S21 will feature a 6.2″ FullHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED display, while the Plus model will come with a slightly larger 6.7″ panel of the same resolution. Both screens will be protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and have a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz.
Galaxy S21 (on left) and Galaxy S21+ (on right)
For photography, the S21 and S21+ will sport a 64MP triple camera on the back, with the 10MP selfie shooter placed at the center of the screen.
Keeping the lights on will be a 4,000 mAh battery on the S21, with the Plus model packing a 4,800 mAh cell. But neither phone will come with a charger included in the box. You can check out the table below for the complete specs of the S21 and S21+.
Specs
Galaxy S21
Galaxy S21+
CPU
Exynos 2100 (in Europe), Snapdragon 888 (in US)
RAM
8GB
Operating System
Android 11 with One UI 3.1
Display
6.2″ FullHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED Always-On Display with Gorilla Glass Victus, 120Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits brightness, 421 ppi pixel density
6.7″ FullHD+ Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED Always-On Display with Gorilla Glass Victus, 120Hz refresh rate, 1300 nits brightness, 394 ppi pixel density
Rear Camera
12MP primary (F/1.8, 79°, 26mm, 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, OIS) + 12MP ultrawide (F/2.2, 120° FOV, 13mm, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm) + 64MP telephoto (F/2.0, 76° FOV, 28mm, 1 / 1.76 “, 0.8 µm, OIS) with 3x hybrid optical zoom, auto-focus, PDAF
Front Camera
10MP (F/2.2, 80° FOV, 25mm, 1/3.24”, 1.22µm)
Video Recording
8K @ 30FPS, 4K @ 30/60FPS, 1080p @ 30/60/120FPS, 720p @ 960FPS
Internal Storage
128/256GB
Connectivity
5G, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, NFC
Battery
4,000 mAh with 25W Charging, Qi Wireless Charging, and Reverse Charging
4,800 mAh with 25W Charging. Qi Wireless Charging, and Reverse Charging
Misc
IP68 rated, Wireless PowerShare, Samsung Knox, Dual SIM + e-SIM, Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner
Colors
Gray, White, Pink, Purple
Silver, Black, Purple
Dimensions
151.7 x 71.2 x 7.9mm
161.4 x 75.6 x 7.8mm
Weight
171 grams
202 grams
In addition to revealing the complete specs, the source also corroborated the previously leaked prices of the S21 and S21+.
The regular model will start at €849 in Europe, while the Plus variant will start at €1049 for the 128GB version, and spending €50 extra will get you double storage.
The vivo X60 Pro arriving on December 29 with an Exynos 1080 SoC has appeared on Chinese certifying authority TENAA’s website with full specs.
The smartphone will come with 8GB and 12GB RAM with two storage options – 128GB and 256GB. It will run Android 11 out of the box, which will have vivo’s new OriginOS on top.
The X60 Pro will feature a 6.56″ FullHD+ AMOLED screen and come with a total of five cameras – a 32MP selfie shooter on the front and a 48MP primary camera on the rear joined by one 8MP and two 13MP units.
The Exynos 1080-powered smartphone will be 7.59mm thin, weigh 178 grams, and pack a 4,200 mAh battery. It will also support dual-mode 5G (SA/NSA).
Alongside the X60 Pro, vivo will unveil the vanilla X60, X60 Pro+, and maybe X60s as well. We don’t have the detailed specs of these smartphones yet, but we don’t have to wait much for those since the official unveiling of the X60 series is just three days away.
The first offer of Iliad with the 5G network: it’s called Flash 70 and will allow those who activate it (by 21 January 2021) to have up to 70 GB, unlimited calls and SMS for only 9. 99 ??. But in which cities is it available and which are compatible smartphones?
by Bruno Mucciarelli published 28 December 2020 , at 12: 21 in the Telephony channel Iliad
Iliad threw the real bomb before Christmas : the new tariff (first with its 5G) that can be activated until 21 January 2021. It’s called Flash 70 and is precisely the first offer of the operator with 5G included , available for all (new users and users from all operators) with 70 GB at only 9, 99 ?? . Inside the offer, however, there are also unlimited minutes and SMS and, like all offers, also the possibility of not having remodeling in the future or even hidden costs.
Iliad Flash 70: here are the cities where 5G is available!
What are the cities where it will be possible to use Iliad’s ultra-fast 5G network today? In this case, directly on the operator’s website, it is possible to see the precise list of cities where it will be possible to intercept the 5G antennas and therefore use your smartphone, if compatible, to surf at very high speed.
Here are the cities that support Iliad 5G
Alexandria
Bari
Bologna
Brescia
Cagliari
Como
Ferrara
Florence
Genoa
Spice
Latina
Messina
Milan
Modena
Padua
Perugia
Pesaro
Pescara
Piacenza
Prato
Ravenna
Reggio Calabria
Reggio Emilia
Rome
Turin
Verona
Vicenza
Here are the smartphones compatible with the 5G network
What are they smartphones currently available on the market that can be used for the 5G network with the new Iliad Flash rate 70? Here is the complete list:
XIAOMI: Mi 10 T Lite 5G, Mi 10, Mi 10 T, Mi 10 T Pro and Mi 10 Pro.
Iliad Flash 70: here is the first rate with 5G included
How does the new rate work and what are the your costs? Flash 70 sees the presence of a very respectable bundle with the possibility of having in one month up to 70 GB of traffic data to be exploited also, and here is the novelty, under the new 5G network in Italy. An incredible novelty especially because the rate is completed with everything that we usually found in the Iliad offers, that is, the minutes of calls and unlimited SMS for the whole month. The price? Only 9, 99 ?? but in this case the rate will be activated until the next 21 January 2021.
FLASH 70
Unlimited minutes of calls to all national fixed and mobile numbers
Unlimited SMS to all
70 GB of data traffic under the 5G network (where available) with Hotspot included
COST: 9. 99 ?? per month
WHERE TO ACTIVATE IT: ONLINE or STORE
Activation COST + SIM: 9. 99 ??
ILIAD: other offers
Next to this is proposed the ‘Voice only offer which allows you to have unlimited calls but practically without data for internet browsing. Here is specifically what it provides:
VOICE
Unlimited Minutes of calls to all national fixed and mobile numbers
Unlimited SMS to all
40 MB of data traffic under the 4G network with Hotspot included
COST : 4. 50 ?? per month
WHERE TO ACTIVATE IT: ONLINE or STORE
Activation COST + SIM: 9. 99 ??
But alongside these two offers, Iliad, still offers the old Giga 40 and the Giga 50 which, although not visible on the website directly, can still be activated.
GIGA 50
Unlimited minutes of calls to all national fixed and mobile numbers
Unlimited SMS Towards all
50 GB of data traffic under 4G network with Hotspot included
COST: 7. 99 ?? per month
WHERE TO ACTIVATE IT: ONLINE or STORE
Activation COST + SIM: 9. 99 ??
GIGA 40
Unlimited minutes of calls to all national fixed and mobile numbers
Unlimited SMS to all
40 GB of data traffic under ret and 4G with Hotspot included
The first images of the Xiaomi Mi appear 11, the first smartphone with the Snapdragon 829 which will arrive on 28 December, in just three days.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 is one of the most anticipated Xiaomi models in its history. Not only because of the fact that it debuted with the Snapdragon 888, but because expectations are high in the terminal. In the absence of a few days before it is officially presented, it is still not known whether or not it will integrate the happy UD camera , that camera that already integrates the ZTE Axon 20 5G and what to say True, it doesn’t seem to have turned out very well.
What we now see are real images of the Xiaomi Mi 11 , in which the upper part of the front does not appear at all, so the dilemma of whether to incorporate or no UD camera, still valid. However, we do see that will integrate a large rear sensor of 108 MP , already known for its presence in other terminals such as the Mi 10 T Pro. In addition, there will be 4 initial colors in which the mobile will be available.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 will come with 108 MP camera, 12 GB RAM and screen with curved edges
Thanks to photography frontal we can draw several conclusions. The first thing is that it keeps the curved screen on the sides , the second is that we see that there will be a variant with 12 GB RAM It will come with Android 11 under MIUI 12. Something that the manufacturer has revealed is that will integrate Gorilla Glass Victus protection , a much more resistant mode than the latest versions and that withstands continuous blows and pressures. That is why a high price is speculated for the Xiaomi Mi 11 .
In any case, there is less left for us to see the smartphone, since the day will be presented 28 from December.
End of Article. Tell us something in the Comments or come to our Forum!
Pablo López
With 15 Years ago I started overclocking my PC to get every extra FPS I could in games and scratch a few milliseconds in SuperPi, while I was constantly posting about hardware on the Geeknetic forum as a user and reader. They must have been so fed up with continually reading me on the forum that I became part of the writing team, where I continue to report on the latest in technology. Astrophysics and PC games are the hobbies that, after hardware, cover most of my free time.
Until the end of 2020 we only have a few days left. This is the right time for all sorts of summaries that we treat our readers with. It is also a time when we reflect on what the 2021 year will bring. As I am responsible for the section of broadly understood mobile technology at PurePC, I want to discuss the three most important upcoming trends that we will face in the coming 12 months. Among them there will be cameras mounted under displays, rolled screens in smartphones, and the issue of increasingly modest sales sets, in which you will not find even basic, even necessary accessories such as a mains charger.
Are you wondering what the most important trends in the world of mobile technologies will be in 2021? I invite you to a small overview of the changes that you should mentally prepare for.
ZTE Axon 20 5G – The first smartphone with a selfie camera under the screen goes on global sale. You order it to Poland
The first thing to expect 2021 of the year are selfie cameras integrated with the screen. Smartphone manufacturers have been looking for a subtle method of hiding the photo module for years. The old notch has been replaced by small indentations and mechanisms that slide out of the casing, but the best is yet to come. The imperceptible camera under the screen should hit at least a few next year’s flagships. At the moment, only ZTE Axon 20 5G can boast of the presence of this solution, which, surprisingly, has been valued at the equivalent 2030 PLN
OPPO X Tom Ford: The manufacturer is preparing a compact smartphone with a slider design. It includes a rolled screen
The second trend that is mentioned more and more often is rolled displays. LG and OPPO are already working on this technology, but other manufacturers are also interested in it. I think that the first devices that use a specific development of foldable displays will be introduced to smartphones next year. I bet, however, that these will be delicate structures susceptible to mechanical damage. The beginnings of folding smartphones were similar. Probably everyone remembers the “scandal” related to the Samsung Galaxy Fold model, which was failing in the hands of the first testers.
Xiaomi is following in the footsteps of Apple and Samsung. Mi flagship smartphone 11 also without mains charger included
The latest trend that will certainly be standard on 2021, there is a limitation in the number of accessories in smartphone sales kits. When there was no charger in the boxes with the iPhones of the series 12, the network boiled up, and the indignation was endless. The company was accused of being stingy, but everything indicates that the chargers will not be attached to the new Samsung Galaxy S 21 and devices from the Xiaomi Mi line 11. I believe this is just the beginning, and the year 2021 will bring even more changes in this respect. I will not be surprised if the cables with appropriate plugs are the only “additions” to the sets. Nevertheless, I’d like to be wrong.
The global debut of Samsung Galaxy S smartphones 21, Galaxy S 21 + and Galaxy S 21 Ultra is coming in big steps. Although the premiere is still ahead of us, we already know quite a lot about the devices. Recently, renders have entered the network that present the appearance of all three variants in detail. Today we can read the full technical specification of Samsung Galaxy S 20 and Galaxy S 21 +. These are not only partial data, but a complete package of information about the hardware. Although these models seem to differ only in size, the specification reveals many more elements characteristic of only one of the new “galaxies”. Without unnecessary extension, let’s get to the point.
The full technical specifications of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S flagship have just leaked to the network 20 and Samsung Galaxy S 21 +. We check the most important differences between the models.
Samsung Galaxy S smartphone test 20 FE – cheaper, not worse
So let’s briefly discuss the fundamental common features of devices and see what makes them different. Both models will receive the Samsung Exynos chip 2100 for Europe and Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 for the USA. In both cases, we can count on 8 GB RAM, Android 11 with One UI 3.1 overlay, Dynamic AMOLED screen with image refresh level 120 Hz and brightness up to 1300 rivets. The main photographic unit consists of 12 MP main camera with f / 1.8 light, 12 MP ultra wide angle with f / 2.2 aperture and 64 MP telephoto lens with f / 2.0 brightness. For the selfie he will answer 10 MP main camera. There will also be 8K video recording at 27 FPS, 5G modem, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and fast charging 25 W and QI wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy S 21.
Samsung Galaxy S Test 20 +: exemplary smartphone. Is that enough?
Samsung Galaxy S 20, however, will receive a smaller, 6.2-inch screen with a pixel density of 431 ppi, while Galaxy S 21 + will display the image on 6.7- inch screen. The more modest version of the “eska” will be able to boast 4000 mAh battery, the higher variant will receive a cell with a capacity 4800 mAh. Madman S 21 will be available in gray, white, pink and purple color versions, model S 21 + in silver, black and purple options. Weaker, if one can say so about the flagship, the model will weigh 171 grams by dimensions 151, 7 x 71, 2 x 7.9 mm, more expensive variant 202 we play with dimensions 161, 4 75, 6 x 7.8 mm. European price of the base Samsung Galaxy S 20 is the 849 euro , version with Plus 1049 euro.
Samsung Galaxy S 21
Samsung Galaxy S 21 +
Processor
Samsung Exynos 2100 / Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
RAM
8 GB
System
Android 11 One UI 3.1
Screen
6.2-inch Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED FHD + AOD Gorilla Glass Victus Brightness 1300 rivets 421 ppi 120 Hz
6.7-inch Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED FHD + AOD Gorilla Glass Victus Brightness 1300 rivets 394 ppi 120 Hz
Main camera
12 MP Main f / 1.8 OIS 12 MP f / 2.2 ultra wide angle 120 ° 64 MP telephoto f / 2.0 3x optical zoom
The camera for selfie
10 MP f / 2.2
Record video
8K 30 FPS, 4K 60 FPS, HD 960 FPS
Data memory
128 / 256 GB
Connectivity
5G, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB-C
Battery
4000 mAh 25 In Qi Wireless Charging Chargeback
4800 mAh 25 In Qi Wireless Charging Reverse Charge
During the last OPPO INNO Day event 2020, the manufacturer presented to the world the vision of the OPPO X smartphone 2021, which uses a rolling display design. This is an innovative development of flexible, foldable screens that has not yet been used by the creators of mobile devices. The above-mentioned equipment is only a concept, just like OPPO X Nendo – a sliding phone based on three hinges. What distinguishes them from the eponymous OPPO X Tom Ford? Well, the latter has a chance to be sold on a regular basis, or at least as indicated by the source. The Let’s Go Digital website has prepared detailed renderings, thanks to which we can check what the equipment will most likely look like.
It seems that OPPO is getting ready to launch a slider smartphone, in which a rolled screen will be used. Fashion designer Tom Ford is involved in creating the device.
Photo. Let’s Go Digital
Test OPPO Reno4 Pro 5G – smartphone with 12 GB RAM and ultra-stabilization
This is not the first information about the slider from OPPO, but only new information allowed for the development of detailed renderings revealing the appearance of the device. As it is easy to see, it will use a rolling screen, which is the solution that the producer talked about during the last INNO Day event 2020. This type of design allows you to increase the working space of a truly compact smartphone by about 80 percent, which in my opinion is much better than what they offer Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola razr.
Photo. Let’s Go Digital
OPPO reveals the slide phone concept smartphone with a stylus, three hinges and as many as seven modes of operation
If you look closely at Let’s Go Digital renderings, you will see a lot of stylistic flavors that give the device its character. We are talking about golden inserts, elements of fabric (or material imitating it) and a camera panel that aims at retro style. Tom Ford is responsible for the aforementioned additions, who most likely cooperates with the company in creating the OPPO smartphone. The name of a well-known American fashion designer found its way into the back of the device, which can be clearly perceived. Manufacturers who want to emphasize the importance of one of the models often use designers for this purpose.
We already know that Samsung intends to surprise us after the New Year with the premieres of mid-range, mid-range smartphones supporting the 5G network . After the Galaxy A model 42 5G models will appear A 22 5G, A 32 5G, A 52 5G or A 72 5G. On the one hand, it is good that the Korean manufacturer wants to ensure an appropriate offer tailored to new technologies, on the other hand, there are concerns that the 5G modem will significantly increase the prices of these devices. Fortunately, Samsung is not going to force us to switch to such models. Those who want to stay with the LTE network should also be satisfied. For such people will be directed, among others Galaxy A 72 4G, which has just appeared in the Geekbench database.
While Samsung Galaxy A 72 5G is expected to cost from 550 to 600 Euro, variant price 4G should be in the fork 450 – 500 euro, which means that it will not be cheap after all.
Samsung Galaxy A 72 5G – Everything you know about one of the most anticipated mid-range smartphones in 2021
As the screen below reveals, Samsung Galaxy A 72 4G (code name SM-A 725 F) works under Android 11, it has 8 GB of RAM on board, and its heart is a pretty efficient and energy-saving Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC chip G. Interestingly, this is the same processor that is supposed to power the cheaper model Galaxy A 52 4G, nevertheless, the choice can still be considered successful, and the advantage of A 72 4G will reveal itself in other respects. We know that the 5G version will have a 6.7-inch AMOLED Infinity-O display and a quad camera. From the 4G version, we have every right to expect the same.
In the first half of next year, Samsung will extend its offer with three inexpensive Galaxy A series smartphones with 5G modems
While Samsung Galaxy A 72 5G is expected to cost from 550 to 600 euro, the price of the 4G variant should be within the range 450 – 500 euro, which means that it will not be cheap after all. The smartphone should debut in at least four color options – black, blue, white and purple. We also expect a fingerprint reader under the screen, a 3.5 mm mini-jack socket, and a battery with a capacity of approx. 4500 mAh.
Andy Müller-Maguhn, former spokesman for the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), reported on Sunday at the remote Chaos Communication Congress (rC3) of massive attempts at intimidation by state secret services. That the CIA was after him became obvious to him at the latest when he discovered after a repair that his encrypted communicating mobile phone had been bugged with an integrated eavesdropping module.
Professional “Paranoia” The hacker sits on the board of directors of the Wau-Holland Foundation and has several crucial Wikileaks publications in their archive like the video “Collateral Murder” from the Iraq war made available by Chelsea Manning. In recent years he has also visited the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange several times in his asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy and reported at the CCC congress last year about his monitoring there by the Spanish company Undercover Global.
For some years now, there have been increasing signs that he is being bugged and being shadowed at every turn, explained Müller-Maguhn in his lecture this year. Because of his professional “paranoia” he is very attentive to receiving the corresponding signals, the security expert stated. For example, he first noticed attacks on the encryption of his cell phone: it suddenly transmitted “a lot of data” and was often downgraded to 3G. This generation of cell phones is much easier to intercept than 4G or 5G.
Spontaneous VPNs and problems with PGP keys There were also increasing problems in the fixed network, explained the computer scientist. For example, strange transmission tunnels in the form of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) were set up when surfing the net. When encrypting emails with PGP, there were strange incidents with the keys, and the relevant environments of communication partners sometimes no longer worked. But all of this was comparatively harmless: “You can get used to it.”
According to Müller-Maguhn, things got more uncomfortable when he was pestered with numerous questions one day when entering Great Britain according to the pattern of how long he will stay in the country and where he wants to travel. At first he suspected that the security authorities wanted to create biometric voice samples of him. The officers didn’t even listen to him and after a while they started their list all over again. Apparently it was a pure delay tactic until a “team is ready to follow me”.
Cell phone with interception component received back This is how the 49 -year-old remembers intrusive observers when visiting a friend’s office. The shading has become more and more open and aggressive: cars followed him to his sleeping place, even though it was on a one-way street. While traveling to other countries, he noticed homeless beggars who were suddenly handling high-resolution cameras with a strong zoom.
One of the most striking things that Müller-Maguhn assesses is a physical error on his cryptophone, which he 2018 because of a defective display I had to send it in. The hacker designed the relevant, specially secured cell phones together with his CCC colleague Frank Rieger and other security experts through the company Society for Safe Mobile Communication (GSMK). The repaired device then waited with a third-party integrated crypto hardware along with its own flash memory and 800 – Mhz antenna.
Open mail and exchanged door locks The phone itself was five years old at the time, the eavesdropping components were from April 2013, the expert explained. It was not possible to determine when exactly the device was installed. It could have been installed even before the repair, with the corresponding effort. To do this, you need a procedure with several people and physical access to the cell phone. Everything looks like a tailor-made secret service operation in the form of a “tailored access”, even if it was probably a standard eavesdropping device.
His door lock was also changed, the cylinder removed, so that he did not come into his apartment, complained Müller-Maguhn: “You were in my room. You know what else I was doing.” Mail to Spanish lawyers had been opened – clearly recognizable.
Invasion of privacy For the Assange -Supporters are clear that they should be intimidated by the state. He sees the CIA at work, as its then boss Mike Pompeo identified Wikileaks 2017 as a “non-state enemy secret service”, “which is often from state Actors how Russia is fed “. The later US Secretary of State was particularly annoyed that the makers of the disclosure platform with the “Vault-7-Leaks” pilloried the CIA, also because of extensive hacking programs. 2018 had Pompeo put Wikileaks on a level with al-Qaeda, ISIS or Hezbollah.
How he escaped surveillance Müller-Maguhn is so far a mystery. Little can be achieved with lawyers, as there is no official legal case for them. It will also be difficult to arrest Pompeo. He would also like to indulge in the belief of many fellow human beings that everything is not so bad and that he should simply continue his “normal life”. The encroachments on his privacy are too deep for that. So if there was one more option left, he turned to the hacker community gathered in front of the screens: “I will become a farmer and you will solve the problem.”
The smartphones from Apple, Samung and other manufacturers are all powered by an ARM processor. Well-known chip manufacturers include Qualcomm, Apple, Samsung and HiSilicon, a subsidiary of Huawei. These companies provide the fast SoCs (Systems on Chip) that are found in the upper-class devices of smartphone manufacturers.
Less known, But the SoC manufacturers Mediatek and Unisoc are quite successful: The market researchers from Counterpoint Research put Mediatek in first place among smartphone chipset manufacturers in their last study. 31 Percent of all smartphones sold worldwide in the third quarter should run with a Mediatek chipset, which corresponds to about 100 Millions of smartphones. Qualcomm followed with 29 percent market share as well as Apple, HiSilicon and Samsung with 12 percent, the meager remaining 4 percent is occupied by Unisoc.
Distribution of 5G technology Mediatek also has fast and expensive SoCs on offer, but the analysts locate their chips mainly in devices from the price range between 100 and 250 US dollars. In addition, they suspect that Qualcomm could move back to the top in the fourth quarter 2020, which is about to expire. The US company would be at the top for 5G-capable chipsets with 31 percent market share, due to the ever increasing spread of this technology, the market share should also be overall so continue to rise. The analysts assume that a third of all smartphones sold in this quarter can work in 5G networks.
If you don’t look at the number of items, but at the sales, Mediatek is a big way behind Qualcomm: According to the According to analysts from IC Insights, Qualcomm comes to almost 20 billion US dollars this year, Mediatek reaches almost half. (ll)
OLED screen, top processor, good battery life and everything from 540 Euro: The good Samsung’s inexpensive S 20 models.
Android smartphones Samsung Galaxy S 20 FE and S 20 FE 5G in the test Display & camera Power Conclusion and test table Article in c’t 1 / 2021 read A good six months after the Top smartphones of the Galaxy S series 20 Samsung has the S 20 FE published. In terms of size, rather an S 20 +, the price is a little below the more compact S 20 (without a plus). The most noticeable differences are a simpler back made of matt plastic instead of glass and the availability of bright housing colors such as dark blue, red or orange. The screen does not have any curvature at the edges, as is otherwise common on most Galaxy S models. The “FE” stands for “Fan Edition”, but in principle it is the successor to the Galaxy S 10 Lite from last fall. Its concept was similar: a large screen without any curvature, a plastic back and a little cheaper.
In addition, Samsung deviates from its usual processor configuration in the FE. Most Galaxy S models are usually available in the US with the top-of-the-line SoC from Qualcomm and in Europe and many other regions with an Exynos SoC developed in-house. At the S 20 FE, Samsung takes a different approach: The 5G version contains the Snapdragon 865; the normal 4G (LTE) version gets the Exynos 990. It doesn’t have a very good reputation: Compared to the Snapdragon 865 it is considered to be slower and more power-hungry, which leads to poorer battery life and more frequent throttling under continuous load. So it makes sense to compare the two models and to put the differences in numbers, because apart from the SoC, the two FEs are absolutely identical.
Display & camera The hardware of the FE is opposite the S 20 slimmed down in some places. So the display has no QHD + resolution (1440 p) , but class-standard FullHD + (1080 p), but the Anyway, the difference can only be seen with eagle eyes. The frame rate of 101 Fortunately, Hertz kept Samsung; Scrolling and other animations look extremely fluid. The plastic back is on the one hand less noble than the glass back of the more expensive S 20, on the other hand, the matt plastic looks more robust and the device is more secure in the hand.
Access to all contents of heise + exclusive tests, advice & background: independent, critically sound c’t, iX, Technology Review, Mac & i, Make, c’t read photography directly in the browser register once – read on all devices – can be canceled monthly first month free, then monthly 9, 95 € Weekly newsletter with personal reading recommendations from the editor-in-chief FREE Start month Start FREE month now heise + already subscribed?
Sign in and read Register now and read the article immediately More information about heise + Android smartphones Samsung Galaxy S 20 FE and S 20 FE 5G in the test Display & camera Power Conclusion and test table Article in c’t 1 / 2021 read
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, the first folding-screen PC, shows a clever way of moving mobile computing forward and is built solid. But there are some kinks to work out in Windows 10 and other software.
For
Folding OLED display
Feels surprisingly durable
Luxury materials
No bloatware
Against
Starts at $2,499 without accessories
Subpar battery life
Some software bugs need to be ironed out
Intel’s Lakefield chips aren’t very powerful
For every innovation to happen, someone has to go first. The worry is how they stick the landing, as that often has implications for the perception of new technology for months or years.
Lenovo is the first to market with a foldable Windows 10 PC. The ThinkPad X1 Fold ($2,499.00 to start, $3,099.00 as tested) is a tablet. Or maybe a laptop? Maybe a book?
That price is eye-popping, which is often the case for first-generation technology. Lenovo has built this with an eye on durability, and added in some premium leather. It’s powered by Intel’s low-power Core i5 Lakefield processor, which enables the form factor.
But Windows 10 wasn’t made for foldables. Lenovo has done some nice work with its own software to soften that blow, but there’s still a bit to be done to make foldables like this take their place among the best Ultrabooks.
Design of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
Image 1 of 4
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 2 of 4
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 3 of 4
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 4 of 4
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Your first impression of the ThinkPad X1 Fold may be disbelief. The device ships flat, like a tablet. Then you can just fold it closed. Like a book. Open, close. Open, close. Yup, this laptop… tablet — whatever you want to call it — can fold.
This isn’t the first foldable device in the world, of course. Samsung, Huawei, and Lenovo’s own phone arm, Motorola have all released folding phones, which have been of varying (often disappointing) quality. But this? No, this feels solid.
When it’s closed, the ThinkPad X1 Fold looks like a fat notebook – but a premium one, like a Moleskine. It’s bound in black leather with the ThinkPad X1 logo stamped in the front. On the back, there’s a kickstand that folds out. There is a bit of a space between the screens, though if you use the optional physical keyboard (more on that below) then no space shows at all.
You open the device the same way you would open a book, and that’s when the 13.3-inch foldable touchscreen amazes, revealing itself without showing the crease. There is, however, a significant bezel hiding some of the components.
While you can’t see the crease while the display is on (it’s visible when off), you may feel it. All you need to use the screen is a light touch. But if you press a bit harder, you can feel some of the pieces under the OLED panel. But I opened and closed this plenty, and I really didn’t have any doubts about durability, as long as you don’t toss it around.
The bezel and the sides are made from plastic, but the X1 Fold doesn’t feel cheap. There are, however, only two ports: a pair of USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports. You can use either for charging, and depending on the way you use the device (more on that in the next graph), it’s possible the other port will be covered. The rest of the sides are populated by a power button, volume rocker and some speaker grilles.
There are a handful of different ways you could hold or use the device. The most obvious is using the Fold as a straightforward Windows 10 tablet. That works exactly how you would expect, and you can use it in landscape or portrait, with Windows rotating automatically.
You could also bend the X1 Fold part way and hold it like a book, perhaps if you have an e-reader program that supports two pages at once, or if you wanted to consult two documents at the same time. This was the posture I used the least while trying the Fold though; I was just more comfortable holding it like a tablet.
But you can also use it folded part of the way on its side, sort of like a laptop. The Windows 10 touch keyboard leaves a lot to be desired, but you can attach the Fold’s small Bluetooth keyboard to the half with magnets and use half of the 13.3-inch display like a regular laptop.
Alternatively, you can keep the Fold like a tablet and stand it up with a kickstand. Pair that with either the mini keyboard (which works both on or off the screen and has a touchpad) or your own separate Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and you’ve got an instant work setup. It won’t replace a primary monitor, though if you plug one in via USB Type-C, it could be a secondary one. This, to me, was my favorite way to use it. The kickstand works great in landscape mode, but while it works in portrait mode for those who want a taller display, it doesn’t feel as steady.
At 2.2 pounds, the X1 Fold isn’t much heavier than competing notebooks. But in such a compact package, it can feel a bit heavy in your hand. It’s 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches folded and 11.8 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches unfolded, which is remarkably thin for a Windows device.
There’s one other laptop powered by the same Intel Lakefield chip to enable lightweight designs: the Samsung Galaxy Book S, which is 2.1 pounds and 12 x 8 x 0.5 inches in a more standard clamshell shape. Another portable tablet-style device, the non-folding Microsoft Surface Go 2, is lighter at 1.2 pounds and is 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.3 inches.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Specifications
CPU
Intel Core i5-L16G7
Graphics
Intel UHD Graphics
Memory
8 GB LPDDR4X-4267
Storage
1TB PCIe SSD
Display
13.3-inch, QXGA, 2048 x 1536 foldable OLED touchscreen
Networking
802.11ax Intel Wi-Fi 6. Bluetooth 5.1
Ports
2x USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2
Camera
720p
Battery
50 Wh
Power Adapter
65 W
Operating System
Windows 10 Pro
Dimensions(WxDxH)
Folded: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches / 236 x 158.2 x 27.8mm
Unfolded: 11.8 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches / 299.5 x 236 x 11.5 mm
Weight
2.2 pounds / 1 kg
Accessories
Lenovo Mod Pen, Lenovo Fold Mini Bluetooth Keyboard
Price (as configured)
$3,099.00
Productivity Performance on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
With the Intel “Lakefield” Core i5-L16G7, 8GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, the ThinkPad X1 Fold trades some performance for flexibility. The processor is good enough for basic computing needs, but no more. Ths chip uses one Sunny Cove core for loads that need bursts of power along with four low-power Tremont cores. If you have a few browser tabs and email, you’ll be fine. Beyond that, consider alternatives.
Image 1 of 4
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 2 of 4
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 3 of 4
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 4 of 4
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
On Geekbench 5.0, the Fold notched a single-core score of 871 and a multi-core score of 1,799. Both of those are higher than the scores from the Lakefield processor in the Samsung Galaxy Book S, but there may have been some optimizations and software updates since then. The Microsoft Surface Go 2, with an Intel Core m3-8100Y, had a higher single-core score (1,147) and multi-core score (3,117).
The X1 Fold copied 4.97GB of files at a rate of 452.51MBps. That’s not the fastest out there, but it’s speedier than both the Galaxy Book S and the Surface Go 2.
It took the ThinkPad 33 minutes and 42 seconds to complete our Handbrake test, which transcodes a 4K video to 1080p. The Galaxy Book S took 41:16 and the Surface Go 2 lagged at 48:14. Mainstream laptops often take less than 20 minutes. The Dell XPS 13, for instance, took 18:22.
To stress test the ThinkPad, we also ran a modified version of our Cinebench R23 gauntlet. Usually, it goes for 20 repetitions, but because of Lakefield’s slow performance and an attempt to complete the test before the heat death of the universe, we ran it five times to stress test the Fold. It was largely stable. Surprisingly, the first score was the lowest at 1,775. It went up to the 1790’s across the next three runs, and then settled in the 1780’s.
Usually, we measure CPU speeds. Logging software we tried seemed to be way off on measurements, listing impossibly fast clock speeds that you can’t achieve even on high-end desktop processors. HwInfo did, however, suggest CPU temps of around 81.4 degrees Celsius (178.5 degrees Fahrenheit) on the Sunny Cove core and 82.7 degrees Celsius (180.9 degrees Fahrenheit) on the Tremont cores. But you should take that with a grain of salt, considering the clock speeds displayed.
Display on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
If there’s anywhere the ThinkPad X1 Fold has to completely and utterly nail it, it’s with the 13.3-inch, 2048 x 1536 foldable OLED touchscreen. After all, it’s the part the entire device literally hinges around, and it has to look and feel good.
You can’t see the hinge when the screen is flat, as long as the display is on. But it does appear faintly when the display is powered off. You also can’t feel the hinge, though if you press hard enough you may feel other components under the display. Luckily, a soft touch is all you need.
I’m not all that worried about durability or anything getting under the screen. Unlike the original Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone, the X1 Fold has a border completely surrounding the screen. Something could get in the leather folio’s spine, maybe, but it would be tough to get something under the screen.
The 13.3-inch screen has a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is a good choice. As a tablet or monitor, it’s tall and provides plenty of space for work. When you fold it to use like a laptop, it’s more cramped — half of the monitor is covered and you get a 1536 x 1006 resolution and around 9.5 inches diagonally. The netbook is back, baby!
The display covers 104% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, which is one of the benefits of OLED. The blacks are deep, and in a trailer for Wonder Woman 1984, the blue seas outside Themyscira made me long for an island vacation (or any vacation, really). The Galaxy Book S (80.5%) and Surface Go 2 (76.1%) are still good, but they don’t use OLED. That preserves the battery (see the battery section below), however.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The X1 fold measured 301.4 nits on our light meter, falling behind both the Book S (334 nits) and Surface Go 2 (408 nits). I didn’t have any issues with this in the most colorful scenes, but there were a few rare times where I wanted to mash the brightness toggle just a few more times.
Keyboard, Touchpad and Stylus on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 2 of 3
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 3 of 3
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Without any other accessories, the keyboard on the ThinkPad X1 Fold is the touch keyboard that’s built into Windows 10. If you have the device folded halfway like a laptop, it’s still a bit cramped, and a touch solution won’t let you type as quickly or efficiently as on a physical keyboard.
There are solutions to this — you can use any Bluetooth keyboard and mouse you want, especially if you have it set up as a full display with the kickstand.
Our package included the $89.99 Lenovo Mod Pen and $229.99 Lenovo Fold Mini Bluetooth Keyboard, which really feels like the way the X1 Fold is intended to be used. The keyboard is super thin, tiny, and can be attached to half of the X1 Fold with magnets (this shuts off that half of the screen). You can also use it like a normal Bluetooth keyboard.
But to fit in the Fold, the keyboard is tiny and cramped. The letters and numbers are laid out well enough, but when you get to special characters, things get weird. For instance, one key is used for a period, right carrot, question mark and slash. It’s a period by default, or a right carrot with a shift. That’s expected.
For a slash, you need to press function and that key, and for a question mark you need to hit function, shift and that key. There are several keys like that, and most of them have common special characters that require three keys to use. It’s incredibly frustrating for even the most simple documents and emails. Some keys, like the colon and tilda, are dramatically shortened. There’s no backlight, but I can get past that.
I hit 98 words per minute on the 10fastfinger.com typing test, which is fairly low for me, and my errors skyrocketed. And that was on a test without special characters.
The touchpad is minuscule. It’s honestly kind of adorable. I was surprised to see it uses Windows Precision drivers, and with the exception that I often hit the edges of the touchpad, it largely was OK to use, even if it didn’t feel great. If you like four-finger gestures, that may be out of the question, but I could make three-finger gestures work.
You can charge the keyboard wirelessly by placing it in between the folded screen.
In the future, I would love to see Lenovo try to make something wider, or perhaps that extends. I might even be willing to work with something that wraps around the foldable for a better typing experience.
The Mod Pen fits into a loop on the side of the keyboard, so it all travels as one package. Mercifully, the pen charges over USB Type-C rather than using batteries, which many styluses of this size do. Lenovo claims it will last 156 hours on a charge. It has 4,096 degrees of pressure sensitivity and works at up to a 60 degree angle. I don’t see this being used much for art on this type of device, but it’s fine for note taking.
I do wish Lenovo would steal from Microsoft’s Surface Pen and include an eraser on the back, but you can assign that feature to one of two programmable buttons if you use Lenovo’s optional Pen Settings software.
Audio on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
I’m not going to say that the audio experience on the Fold is amazing, but it’s far better than I expected. In general, I’d say it’s about as good as the average laptop, but not as loud. It didn’t quite fill my apartment with sound as I listened to the Arctic Monkeys’ “Do I Wanna Know?”, though for listening on my own it’s fairly usable. The song’s drums and bassline were clear, but lacked a kick. Interestingly, all of the speaker grills are on the left side of the device, or the top when in portrait mode, which did kind of throw off my balance.
You can change some equalizer presets in the Dolby Access software that’s included, but it’s not very in-depth, and I didn’t find it to make much of a difference.
Upgrading the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
The big difference between configurations of the X1 Fold is storage. Buy what you’ll think you’ll need for the long run, because the device is effectively sealed.
Yes, there are some visible screws underneath the kickstand. There’s even a small door, but you can’t completely access it, as it’s partially covered by the cover. A maintenance manual shows that you effectively have to remove the entire leather cover and then open the device to get to anything, which could void your warranty if you’re not careful. Consider this thing a closed box.
Battery Life on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
An OLED display and a battery small enough to fit into a foldable won’t get you all-day battery life. On our battery test, which browses the web, runs OpenGL tests and streams video, all while connected to Wi-Fi and set at 150 nits of brightness, the X1 Fold ran for 6 hours and 3 minutes. This number was achieved from a separate unit with 256GB of storage, due to testing equipment being spread out during the pandemic, but we expect numbers would be similar on the 1TB version.
That means that while the device itself is extremely portable, you may have to also consider bringing the charger along, which is a bit of a bummer.
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
The Samsung Galaxy Book S, another Lakefield device, ran for 9:40. That didn’t have an OLED screen, though. Microsoft’s Surface Go 2 ran for almost two hours more than that, lasting 11:38.
Heat on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
We took heat measurements while running our Cinebench R23 stress test. That benchmark is far more than one would usually run on this computer, so it shows us some worst-case scenarios for heat.
Image 1 of 2
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 2 of 2
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Notably, our heat camera showed that the left side of the tablet (in landscape) heated up far more than the right side, suggesting that the processor is in that portion of the device. The hottest it got was 40.5 degrees Celsius (104.9 degrees Fahrenheit). On the back, the same portion hit 36.4 degrees Celsius (97.5 degrees Fahrenheit).
Webcam on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
The 720p webcam on the ThinkPad X1 Fold is about what you might expect. Like many laptop webcams released this year, it takes a picture you could consider serviceable, but not great. A photo at my desk was grainy and a bit dim. The Surface Go 2 was the gold standard this year, with a camera that supports 1080p video, and I hope to see something like that in more laptops and foldables in 2021.
But the bigger issue is the placement. As a tablet held in landscape, the camera works exactly as you would expect. But if you turn it to portrait, or use it like a laptop with the keyboard attached, the image appears sideways in video calls, as that’s the way the camera is oriented (my colleagues were very confused when I called into a meeting like that).
Lenovo does have software to try to combat this, and you can use it to rotate the image. At best, then, using the X1 Fold in those postures creates an image more like a phone, tall with black bars on the side. It’s better than being sideways, but it feels more than a little unrefined.
Software and Warranty on the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold
The ThinkPad X1 Fold we reviewed had no junk at all, not even the usual bloat that comes with Windows 10.
On most Windows 10 notebooks, Lenovo only includes its Vantage software (seen here in a dedicated enterprise version) for easy access to warranty status, quick camera and microphone toggles and to easily check your serial number.
But in this case, Lenovo has a bunch of other software just to make the foldable work as expected. When the X1 Fold was originally revealed, there was a plan to release it with Windows 10, and then later with Windows 10X, a touch-focused version of the operating system designed for foldable devices. But with Windows 10X delayed to 2021 — and starting on single-screen laptops instead of foldables — it working on regular Windows 10 is more important.
Most of the hard work is handled by Lenovo Mode Switcher, which lives in the task bar, recognizes which way your device is aligned and provides a method to move windows side-to-side or one on top of the other. It works as expected, but if you switch modes or rotate the device, the windows often don’t stay organized.
There’s also Lenovo Camera Settings, which lets you rotate your camera picture, Lenovo Display Optimizer to calibrate the OLED screen and the optional Lenovo Pen Settings to adjust the buttons on the pen and check its battery status.
All of this points to one issue — Windows 10 isn’t fully there as a tablet-only operating system, nor as one for foldables. Windows Hello is needed, and Lenovo deserves credit for getting it to work this much, even if there is some jankiness around it. Once, I got the Windows 10 login screen to turn vertical, as if it were on a Windows phone, with large black bars on the sides. It stayed that way on the desktop, too.
Lenovo sells the ThinkPad X1 Fold with a 1-year warranty, which can go up to three years at an additional cost.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold Configurations
Our ThinkPad X1 Fold review unit was the top-end, $3,099 configuration with an Intel Core i5-L16G7 “Lakefield” processor, 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM a 1TB PCIe SSD and Windows 10 Pro.
There are a number of other configurations, but they all have the same CPU and memory. The other differences come down to the amount of storage, which version of Windows 10 you get, and if the package includes the keyboard and stylus accessories.
The base option is $2,499, with 256GB of SSD storage and Windows 10 Home. Notably, this option doesn’t include the keyboard or stylus. If you want those later, the Mod Pen costs $89.99 on its own, while the mini keyboard runs for an eye-watering $229.99.
To get that option with the accessories included in the box, it’s $2,749 with Windows 10 Home or $2,799 with Windows 10 Pro. From there, prices increase with storage and all have Windows 10 Pro.
In 2021, configurations with 5G support will be available, but exact pricing and availability hasn’t been announced.
Bottom Line
Image 1 of 3
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 2 of 3
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
Image 3 of 3
(Image credit: Tom’s Hardware)
There is no doubting that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is a first-gen product that isn’t for most people. If the $2,499 and up price tag (before accessories) doesn’t scare off all but tech-savvy CEO’s, it’s the fact that there are still some kinks to work out in the software.
And yet, I’m really surprised by how much I’ve enjoyed using it. While the Core i5 Lakefield chip isn’t the most performance-oriented slice of silicon, all of my x86 apps work on it, and as long as I stick to my normal workflow of browsing, writing, using some spreadsheets and watching video, this will handle things nicely. For photo editing, I would want just a tad more power.
The keyboard is a smart idea that needs more time in the oven. No individual key on the keyboard should require three buttons to press, especially if it’s as commonly used as a plus sign, a hyphen or a question mark. I would also like to see it somehow attach to the back of the device, as I tended to leave it elsewhere in my apartment and had to search for it when I needed it.
The hardware could use some slimming down, but it’s sturdy. I trust this to fold and not break. But I need Lenovo — and any other PC vendor considering moving into folding PCs — to ensure that the UX is perfect. That may mean waiting for Windows 10X, if Microsoft does a better job of adapting its own OS to the form factor than an OEM could do.
But Lenovo, for a first try, has impressed. Still, the expense and the quirks you get for this high price mean that you should probably wait for future generations. But I have hope that these kinds of devices will get a lot better before too long.
5G in the US isn’t mind-bogglingly fast, but it is going to get betterIllustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Your guide to the current state of 5G carrier plans in the US, what they cost, and whether it’s worth upgrading your plan
You’re the proud owner of a new 5G phone — congratulations! We’ve got some bad news, though: if you live in the US, 5G probably isn’t going to be the mind-bogglingly fast experience that you’ve been promised. For most regions, it’s just a little faster than the 4G speeds we’re used to using. But here’s the good news: 5G is going to get better, so if you have a 5G phone you may want to make sure your plan delivers it.
If you got a phone recently, there’s a good chance it supports 5G. Pretty much every new phone in 2021 — with the exception of some budget models — will offer some form of 5G support. Whatever your preferred brand or operating system, 5G is coming your way soon if you don’t have it already.
Your phone is ready for the next big thing, but what about your data plan? Across the board, the major US carriers’ unlimited plans already include access to 5G. However, carriers offer a mix of 5G bands that vary in speed and coverage. It’s complicated, as all things 5G have been since it first appeared in the US.
Consider this your guide to the current state of 5G and data plans in the US — which ones include 5G, which don’t, what variety of 5G they include, and whether you should consider upgrading depending on your carrier’s implementation of 5G.
One important note for those with a 5G phone: even if you discover that your current plan does include 5G and it’s available in your area, you may still need to upgrade to a new SIM card if you moved it over from an older device. A SIM card that was activated in a 4G device will still work with a 5G device, but you may have trouble connecting to the 5G network. Check with your carrier if you’re not seeing the little 5G logo pop up on your screen and you think you should be.
For comparison purposes, the prices listed in this article are for one line of service per month before taxes and fees. Additional lines bring down the monthly cost per line, but your total bill increases, of course.
Verizon
TL;DR: Unless you live in one of the few areas with Verizon’s truly fast UW 5G, we don’t think there’s a reason to change your plan just yet.
Verizon offers two varieties of 5G, the faster of which it calls “Ultra Wideband” (also referred to as millimeter wave or mmWave) and is available only in certain parts of certain cities. It’s scarce, but it is mind-bogglingly fast, and you’ll see a 5G UW logo on your phone screen if your phone is using that network. Oh, and 5G UW signals don’t reach indoors for the most part, so if you’re spending most of your time inside your house or apartment right now, you probably wouldn’t pick it up even if you live in a place where it’s available.
Verizon data plans with 5G
Plan
5G access
Plan
5G access
Unlimited (postpaid)
Start Unlimited: Nationwide 5G only. All others: UW and Nationwide
Data-capped (postpaid)
Nationwide only
Unlimited (prepaid)
Nationwide only*
Data-capped (prepaid)
Nationwide only
All but one of Verizon’s postpaid unlimited plans includes UW 5G access. *UW is coming to prepaid in early 2021.
“Nationwide” is the company’s other 5G, a low-band variety that’s slower than mmWave but offers much broader coverage. In fact, it’s sometimes a bit slower than 4G, so if you’re not happy with the 5G speeds you’re getting, you may want to try limiting your phone to LTE and see if things improve.
Check Verizon’s coverage map to see what’s available in your area. If you do live in a city with UW 5G, be sure to zoom all the way in to see the exact areas and streets with coverage — they’re marked in a darker shade of red that will appear once you zoom in close enough.
Verizon’s Shared Data (data capped) plans and its $80-per-month basic unlimited plan include the lower-tier Nationwide 5G only. For access to UW in addition to Nationwide 5G, you’ll need at least the $90 “Play More” unlimited plan. Verizon offers $10 off those monthly prices if you enroll in auto pay.
Verizon also includes 5G on its prepaid data plans, which start at $65 per month for unlimited data or $40 per month for a 5GB data-capped plan. There’s a $5 monthly discount for auto pay as well. For now, UW 5G isn’t available for prepaid customers, but Verizon says that’s changing in 2021.
AT&T
TL;DR: Don’t worry about switching up your AT&T plan for 5G.
AT&T’s history with 5G is… fraught. Early on, the company marketed what was essentially LTE technology as “5G E” and (rightfully) caught a lot of flak for it. You won’t see that term in any of the company’s marketing these days, but AT&T customers still might see a 5G E logo on their phone screen when connected to this service. If you do see it, know that what you’re getting is not really 5G.
AT&T data plans with 5G
Plan
5G access
Plan
5G access
Unlimited (postpaid)
5G and 5G Plus
Data-capped (postpaid)
None
Unlimited (prepaid)
5G and 5G Plus (Unlimited Plus plan only)
Data-capped (prepaid)
None
Most unlimited customers, prepaid or postpaid, have access to both flavors of AT&T 5G.
Outside of that debacle, AT&T has invested in its true 5G offerings, which are structured similarly to Verizon’s: a fast mmWave version called 5G Plus in limited places and slower but more widespread standard 5G coverage. However, 5G Plus may be even more scarce than Verizon’s UW 5G. The company doesn’t provide any coverage maps for it, and it says only that it is deployed in “select innovation zones” in parts of certain cities. Testers for PCMag’s annual mobile network test didn’t encounter 5G Plus in cities where AT&T offers it. The carrier’s standard 5G is of the low-band variety similar to Verizon’s Nationwide, and PCMag testers also found that it sometimes lagged behind 4G.
All of this is to say that AT&T’s 5G really isn’t worth upgrading your plan for yet, but if you’re on any of the company’s unlimited plans, you wouldn’t need to anyway. Both 5G and 5G Plus are included in all postpaid unlimited plans, which start at $75 per month ($65 with auto pay). The Unlimited Plus prepaid plan also includes it at $75 per month ($60 with auto pay). AT&T’s only postpaid 4GB data-capped plan doesn’t include 5G and neither do its other prepaid plans.
AT&T may have had a somewhat rocky start with 5G, but the technology will improve. And for now at least, the company isn’t charging a premium for its fastest 5G variant.
AT&T 5G coverage map
T-Mobile
TL;DR: All of T-Mobile’s postpaid plans include 5G. If you’re on the base unlimited plan and live in a congested area you might find you have more reliable access to 5G by upgrading. But no need if you don’t notice slowdowns.
Of the three big carriers, T-Mobile might be in the best position to bring truly faster-than-LTE 5G to the most people — but it doesn’t seem to be there quite yet. Verizon and AT&T’s efforts have been concentrated around high and low-band offerings. T-Mobile offers both, too, but it’s also working on converting Sprint’s former midband frequencies to 5G. This might be a sweet spot: not as fast as the mmWave stuff, but genuinely faster than 4G. Recent analysis from PCMag shows the network isn’t delivering on that promise just yet, but T-Mobile promised to extend midband 5G to 100 million people by the end of this year and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
All of the company’s postpaid plans include 5G, starting with the $65 per month ($60 with autopay) Essentials plan. One caveat: customers on that base-level plan are the first ones subject to slowdowns when the network is congested. T-Mobile does not offer 5G on its prepaid plans.
T-Mobile data plans with 5G
Plan
5G access
Plan
5G access
Unlimited (postpaid)
Yes
Data-capped (postpaid)
n/a
Unlimited (prepaid)
No
Data-capped (prepaid)
No
All of T-Mobile’s postpaid unlimited plans include 5G.
For now, we think T-Mobile customers can stay put on their current plan. Essentials plan customers who are happy with their network speeds and don’t notice slowdowns probably wouldn’t gain much from upgrading just yet. But it will be interesting to see if T-Mobile can make good on its ambitious promises to bring meaningfully fast 5G to more of its customers in 2021.
T-Mobile 5G coverage map
US Cellular
TL;DR: All plans (pre- and postpaid) include access to 5G.
US Cellular 5G is of the low-band variety, so it’s still only a little faster than 4G. But the good news is if you’re on US Cellular, you have access to the company’s 5G: all plans (pre- and postpaid) include it. And if you’re in a rural area, US Cellular is more likely to offer 5G to you now, while major carriers’ coverage is still mostly concentrated around bigger cities. So there’s not much to deliberate here, if you have a 5G phone and your area is covered, you should be able to connect. We just wouldn’t advise anyone to switch to US Cellular only because it offers 5G where they live.
US Cellular coverage map
MVNOs: Cricket, Metro by T-Mobile, etc.
TL;DR: If you’re happy with your MVNO plan, don’t switch things up just for 5G.
Most mobile virtual network operators, or MVNOs, do include 5G on their plans. Cricket’s unlimited plan offers 5G access using AT&T’s 5G network ($60 per month for one line). All Mint Mobile plans include access to 5G on T-Mobile’s network, and Metro by T-Mobile prepaid plans come with 5G access, starting with a 10GB plan for $40 / month.
A significant caveat though: since MVNOs don’t own the networks they use, carrier subscribers are likely to get preferential treatment when there’s congestion. If you’re looking for the best of the best speeds, one of the big three might be the way to go. But again, that reality is still a ways off. Chances are, you wouldn’t be upgrading to a night-and-day experience if you did switch.
Samsung Korea develops a revolutionary punch-hole selfie camera that is invisible when not in use, thanks to a mechanically moving sub-display.
Various smartphone manufacturers have been developing under-screen camera technology for some years now. The ZTE Axon 20 5G is the first phone with this new camera technology. A special film with anti-reflective coating is used to maximize the transparency of the screen. However, the image quality of this selfie-camera still leaves something to be desired. Moreover, the camera is still somewhat visible, depending on the content shown. Samsung seems to opt for a different approach, at least for the time being.
For the complete coverage visit our Dutch edition: Samsung Galaxy S22 with invisible punch-hole camera.
Samsung has filed a patent for a full screen smartphone with a punch-hole camera. The camera system includes a dual camera and a flash. An internal pop-up display is integrated to cover the selfie-camera when not in use. This sub-display can move up and down, as shown in the illustration below.
This mechanically moving sub-display comes with touch support. It can display the time, battery status and incoming messages, among other things. By clicking on the sub-display, the accompanying application will be opened on the main screen. For example; a message comes in, the user clicks on the icon displayed on the sub-display after which the full message app will open on the main display.
This technology enables Samsung to create a full screen smartphone with a camera that is simply not visible when not in use – kind of similar to an in-display camera. With the main difference being that a high image quality can be guaranteed, as the camera system does not have to photograph through the screen.
Take a look at our Dutch edition for the complete coverage with additional images about this invisible punch-hole camera smartphone from Samsung.
Ilse is a Dutch journalist and joined LetsGoDigital more than 15 years ago. She is highly educated and speaks four languages. Ilse is a true tech-girl and loves to write about the future of consumer electronics. She has a special interest for smartphones, digital cameras, gaming and VR.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
