With 2016 now starting to draw to a close and most if not all, of the big flagship devices having been announced, attention has somewhat started to shift towards what 2017 will bring. Of course, one of the first major devices that is likely to see its release next year will be the next-in-line Galaxy S device, the Galaxy S8. This will be followed by a number of other routine follow-ons like the LG G6, among others. That said, a new report out of Business Korea today is already talking about what should be expected with the 2018 editions of these two lines, the Galaxy S9 and the LG G7.
While it might seem slightly far-fetched to focus on two smartphones which will follow-on from two smartphones which have yet to be announced, there is some logic here. The report details how it is now expected that the Galaxy S9 and the LG G7 will be two of the first 5G-enabled smartphones to hit the market. The reason for this is of course, the that fact that last week Qualcomm introduced their Snapdragon X50, the world’s first 5G modem. While Qualcomm did announce the Snapdragon X50 however, it is still is only an announced aspect and won’t start rolling out to manufacturers to use for quite some time. In fact, the report today does look to confirm that Qualcomm will be planning to release the first samples of the X50 to manufacturers in the second half of 2017 with manufacturers in turn, expected to start making them available inside their devices during the first half of 2018. Which is pretty much in line with when the Galaxy S9 and the LG G7 would be expected to debut.
None of this information is stated to come from anyone in particular and as such might be including an element of speculation. Although, it does stand to reason that if the deployment time-frame for the X50 is correct, then Samsung and LG could very well be looking to 5G as a selling point for these devices. At least, in terms of their devices being 5G-ready and in reality, they are unlikely be the only ones who will be pushing 5G around that time. Although it is worth keeping in mind that having a 5G-ready smartphone will only be half of the equation, as you will need the rest of the 5G infrastructure to be in place to really be able to make use of any 5G-ready hardware. Either way, with the Galaxy S9 and the LG G7 still a very long time away, much of the upcoming focus will remain on what Samsung can do to win back consumer trust with its next smartphone and what LG can do to turn the tide on its slowing LG G-series sales, modular or otherwise.