Qualcomm Bringing 5G to Motorola, Xiaomi, Oppo Next Year

The grand arrival of 5G is coming to the lower-priced phones early next year, thanks to new Qualcomm chips, Motorola, Oppo and Xiaomi will be selling them.

As with any new technology that arrives, like 5G, it first arrives in high-end, pricey devices then eventually trickles down to less expensive phones. The first 5G phones released last year cost over $1,000 (100,000KSH) — the Galaxy S105G retailed for $1,300 (130,000KSH), but pricing has been falling quickly, especially considering how widespread the plans for 5G are seeming to be.

The continued advance of 5G is more essential than before, now that the the coronavirus has radically changed our world. The next-generation cellular technology, which boasts anywhere from 10 to 100 times the speed of 4G and rapid-fire responsiveness, could improve everything from simple video conferencing to telemedicine and advanced augmented and virtual reality. But the pandemic has caused people to watch their spending. Many are scooping up devices that help them work or study from home, but they’ve been shunning new smartphones.

Bringing 5G to Qualcomm’s 4-series Snapdragon chips will go a long way to expanding the connectivity globally. The company estimates it will address regions that have about 3.5 billion smartphone users.

Motorola, Oppo and Xiaomi all vowed to make phones using Qualcomm’s upcoming chips. The first 4-series-powered phones will arrive in the first quarter.

“2020 marks the year of 5G proliferation,” said Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, who spoke during Qualcomm’s IFA keynote. “Xiaomi will become one of the first companies to introduce a smartphone using the 5G 4-series platform.”