Next iPhone expected to come with 5G technology as more models make it down under

Months ahead of its expected release, rumours are already leaking on the next iPhone with a big question mark over a key change.

Australia’s three mobile phone network operators are rolling out faster new 5G mobile phone networks, and in 2020 you’ll have a lot more options to connect to them.

Telstra and Optus spent much of 2019 talking about their plans for their 5G network and at the end of the year Vodafone confirmed it was also working on a 5G network while it waits for a verdict on a merger with TPG.

But if you’re looking to connect to experience the promised faster download speeds and lower latencies on the newer network you can’t just pick up a SIM and stick it in your phone.

You need a device with a 5G modem to connect to the new networks, and so far the selection in Australia has been fairly limited.

But that’s all set to change as more brands bring 5G capable smartphones down under, with one expected to change the game. Here are some of the new 5G phones we expect to see in stores before the end of the year.

SAMSUNG’S NEW GALAXY

This leaked photo shows a phone purporting to be the next Samsung Galaxy alongside the current model. Picture: XDA Developers

Samsung is the number one selling smartphone maker in the world and has dominated a large part of the 5G market in Australia so far, with more devices here than any other company.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G made it here a few months after the non-5G variant, and was followed up by the Note10+ 5G and the “budget” Galaxy A90 5G.

But the tech rumour mill is currently obsessed with its next device.

Whatever the new flagship Galaxy S, iPhone-rival ends up being called (camps are split trying to decide if the naming style will continue as expected with S11 or if Samsung will switch it up and call the next device the S20), it will definitely have a 5G variant, if not 5G across the whole range.

All will be revealed at Samsung’s special Unpacked event next month, including if the company plans to release an updated foldable phone this year, which would also likely have 5G capabilities.

The Galaxy Fold it raced to market last year, which was dogged by screen breaking issues, had a 5G variant but it wasn’t sold in Australia.

The Galaxy Fold available here sold out in a matter of hours so any new foldable would likely be on offer in Australia as well.

NEW NAME ENTERS THE MARKET

TCL is a name you may recognise from its televisions, but the company is pushing hard into the mobile market in 2020.

Locally, the company also makes the budget smartphones sold under the Alcatel name.

Last year it softly launched the TCL Plex giving us a taste of what it had in the pipeline, and it plans to follow that up with four more phones in 2020, including a 5G variant.

A version of the phone was seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas at the start of the month, but the retail version likely won’t make it to stores until the latter half of the year. When it does it will be looking to compete on one thing: price.

The 5G phones on the market in Australia all retail for more than $1000 but the one TCL plans to bring to Australia is expected to cost less than $800.

This will require some compromises and it probably won’t compete with its pricier rivals on multimedia performance or camera specs, but it will make the new network more accessible to more customers, which will be great news for the telcos who want consumers to join.

APPLE PLAYS CATCH UP

and here's what we will most likely get next year pic.twitter.com/dpUIgKmWvG

— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) November 20, 2019

Another huge boost for the telcos will be when Apple finally releases a 5G phone.

Still more than six months away from when it’s expected to go on sale, the latest iPhone has been subject to leaks and speculation as is now the norm, including conceptual renderings like the one above.

The Cupertino company, which offers the only real alternative to an Android smartphone and has consistently been one of the top sellers since the launch of the original iPhone, had a few setbacks thanks to a dispute over Intel’s modem division that it eventually acquired.

Whether that gives it enough time to put 5G in this year’s iPhones remains to be seen.

If it does, it’s unlikely to be in the new model of the value-focused iPhone SE expected to be officially unveiled in March.

A 5G version of the next flagship iPhone and iPhone Pro (presuming Apple sticks with the name) is far more likely, but not expected until at least September if history is anything to go by.

Are you planning on buying a 5G phone this year? Let us know in the comments below.