Pranav Hegde
Moneycontrol News
While 5G won't be available till late 2019, Verizon, a telecom operator in the US has claimed that it has successfully tested 5G data transmission on a smartphone. Not many phones support 5G at the moment, as the technology functions on a new standard and smartphones do not feature a 5G modem as well.
Motorola has launched a 5G compatible modular device which was used by Verizon for testing purposes. The modularity of the Moto Z line is what allowed Motorola to launch the world’s first “5G-upgradeable” smartphone. Called as the Moto Z3, the new device can be upgraded to 5G with the help of a 5G Moto Mod. Motorola partnered with Verizon to launch the Z3 which seems to be the first broadband service to offer 5G services later this year in the US. A mobile solution will be available soon, and the Moto Mod 5G will make the phone 5G compatible.
Verizon posted on its Twitter account about the 5G testing and even shared a photo which showed the 5G symbol on the status bar of the Z3.
Connectivity was tested with video calling and simple internet browsing. However, the signal looked weak with just one bar due to lack of steady 5G infrastructure. According to Verizon, the test was conducted using a Moto Z3 with the promised 5G Moto Mod attachment. Motorola in the launch event stated that the Moto Mod would have a Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
In fact, at CES 2019, Verizon CEO confirmed that Moto Z3 will be the first smartphone with 5G capabilities.
Moto Z3 specs
Talking about the phone, the Z3 is a 6-inch AMOLED display, and it runs on Android 8.1 Oreo. It features a 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage expandable to up to 2TB with a microSD card. The phone has a 3,000 man non-removable battery which supports the company’s version of fast charging called as ‘Turbopower’. Moto Mods are available for a limited price for $100 or $50 if you purchase the Moto Z3.
What is 5G?
While 5G may sound like an upgrade from the existing 4G networks, there is much more than what just meets the eye. The new generation of mobile phone technology is expected to bring higher data speeds and better accommodate a greater variety of connected devices. The fifth generation network is expected to revolutionise cellular networks and offer a seamless medium for communication. It offers ultra-high speed internet, super capacity handling capability, the ultra-low latency for the tactile network, network slicing for better efficiency and utilisation of resources and Internet of Things.
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