LG is expected to launch affordable 5G smartphones later this year. In its second-quarter 2020 earnings report, the company talked about strengthening its ODM strategy and releasing devices that can be realized in more markets.
The financial report for the second quarter of 2020 shows that LG has been significantly affected by the coronavirus epidemic. LG’s smartphone sales fell by 19% year-on-year. But after the supply chain stabilized and lock-in measures were loosened, it increased by 31% month-on-month, especially in markets such as the US and Europe. The launch of the LG Velvet also helped increase sales during this period.
LG executives said that the company’s mobile communications division (smartphones) is working hard to increase the profitability of its business and become more competitive in the current market. LG may release 5G smartphones worth $100 to $200 in markets such as the US or China.
In addition, LG is already negotiating with chip manufacturers and ODMs to bring 5G smartphones to the mass market, which will help promote the popularization of 5G-enabled devices. The company also hopes to launch attractively priced 5G devices in markets such as South Korea and the United States in the second half of 2020. Although the exact release date and model number are currently unclear.
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The Cheapest 5G Smartphones
When talking about affordable 5G smartphones we should recall a few models that are already out or will hit the market soon. Among them, we should pay attention to the Redmi 10X. It uses the Dimensity 820 SoC. This chip not only supports 5G + 5G dual card dual standby, SA, NSA dual-mode 5G but also 5G dual-carrier aggregation.
Its performance on AnTuTu is way beyond any mid-range smartphone in the market presently. The MediaTek Dimensity 820 hit 415,672 points on AnTuTu. This score is comparable to the 2019 flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC which hit 445,343 points. This processor is based on 7nm process technology. It uses 4 × Cortex A76 (2.6GHz) + 4 × Cortex A55 (2.0GHz) and a Mali-G57 MC5 GPU.
The Redmi 10X’s starting price is 1,599 yuan ($224).
Huawei’s cheapest 5G smartphone is considered to be the Huawei Enjoy Z 5G. It comes with the same chip as the aforementioned model.
OPPO has decided to go even further and will announce the new series smartphone dubbed the Realme V5. It will be powered by the Dimensity 720 5G chip and cost 1,699 yuan ($245).