At the IFA 2019 consumer electronics trade fair held in Berlin, Germany from September 6, 2019, many smartphone manufacturers exhibited their latest models. Let's pick up and introduce the mobile-related topics we saw at IFA, such as smartphones that are expected to be released in Japan in the future, and initiatives related to the attention-grabbing "5G".
Huawei and Qualcomm scatter sparks with 5G
First, let's pay attention to the efforts of each company regarding "5G", the next-generation mobile communication standard. 2019 is said to be the “first year of 5G” worldwide, and local mobile phone companies such as Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile) have started 5G services, so there will be several exhibitions and presentations on 5G at the IFA venue. It was fulfilled.
Among them, Samsung Electronics announced the 5G smartphone "Galaxy A90 5G" that can be purchased at a lower price in addition to the "Galaxy S10 5G", "Galaxy Note10/10+ 5G" and "Galaxy Fold 5G". We are appealing that we have a large lineup of 5G compatible smartphones.
What attracted more attention in relation to 5G was Huawei Technologies and Qualcomm's keynote speeches where they engaged in an appealing battle on 5G.
Huawei has announced a new chipset, the Kirin 990, which is said to be the first chipset with a built-in modem necessary for 5G communication. Until now, 5G modem chips had to be installed separately from the main chipset, but by developing the Kirin 990 with a built-in modem, Huawei is in a more dominant position in the development of smartphones and other products. It can be said that
On the other hand, Qualcomm announced that it will further accelerate the 5G compatibility of its chipset "Snapdragon" series. Currently, 5G support is being promoted only for the high-end "8" series, but in the future, we announced that the "7" and "6" series for middle to middle-high class will also support 5G. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the company plans to launch a 7-series chipset that supports 5G, and it can be said that the possibility of lower-priced 5G smartphones appearing from the end of the year to next year has increased.
Fierce competition for the underlying chipsets of 5G also indicates that the competition for smartphones equipped with it will also accelerate. Therefore, it can be said that the battle between the two companies shows that 5G is rapidly progressing from the initial launch stage to the full-scale spread phase.
"Xperia 5" and "Galaxy Note10/10+" expected to be launched in Japan
Among the announcements and exhibitions at this year's IFA, the release in Japan is the most anticipated. is "Xperia 5" announced by Sony Mobile Communications. This is a model with a display size of 6.1 inches and a width of 68 mm, while maintaining the concept and performance of the "Xperia 1" sold as a summer model in Japan in 2019. It can be said that it is a model close to the "Compact" series in the conventional Xperia series.
Because of the smaller size, there are some compromises in terms of performance, such as the display resolution being full HD+ (2,520 x 1,080 pixels) instead of 4K, but it still has the same 21:9 ratio as the Xperia 1. Adopting an organic EL display, "Creator Mode" that reproduces the colors of the master monitor used in video production, "Cinema Pro" that can shoot 24 frames per second at the same 21:9 ratio as movies, The characteristic functions of Xperia 1, such as "Eye AF" that tracks and focuses on the eyes, are firmly installed. It is a smartphone that focuses on watching and shooting videos.
Another thing that is attracting attention for domestic introduction is Samsung Electronics' new models "Galaxy Note10" and "Galaxy Note10+". This is the latest model of the Galaxy Note series, which used to be one model, but from this time, the small model "Galaxy Note 10" with a new 6.3-inch display, and the larger 6.8-inch model with a feeling of conventional size. There are two models of "Galaxy Note10+" that realized the screen.
Both models support pen operation using the "S pen", which is also the biggest feature of the Galaxy Note series, but the operation related to the S pen has been expanded. A new gesture operation has been added to the "remote operation" that allows you to remotely operate the camera application using a pen. In addition to simple operations such as "release the shutter", you can now perform more operations such as "switch between main and front cameras" and "switch camera modes".
By the way, at the IFA venue, Sharp also exhibited smartphones mainly for Europe. Along with this IFA, in addition to starting the European deployment of "AQUOS R3", it has been revealed that a new middle class smartphone "AQUOS V" will be provided.
“Galaxy Fold” is finally here, and the two-screen approach is also increasing
A smartphone with a foldable display, the “Galaxy Fold,” attracted a lot of attention at IFA. Although it was announced in February 2019, sales were postponed due to various circumstances, but sales officially started in September 2019, starting with South Korea. The real thing was shown at this year's IFA.
To explain the Galaxy Fold again, a smartphone that can fold a 7.3-inch display comparable to a tablet inward like a book. Not only can you enjoy content such as videos and games by making full use of the large screen, but even when it is closed, basic operations are possible on the 4.6-inch display mounted on the back. Even at the time of the announcement, the price of over 200,000 yen in Japanese yen became a hot topic, but it is certain that it has attracted a lot of attention in South Korea, such as being sold out on the same day as the release date, and I would like to expect a lot of Japanese introduction.
[Video] Folding and unfolding the Galaxy Fold (audio is heard. Please be careful)
By the way, it seems that other manufacturers are also making efforts to increase the size of the display with a different approach of adding a display. One of them is the latest model of ASUS's gaming smartphone "ROG Phone 2", and by installing a dock that can be expanded to a two-screen display, it is possible to enjoy games while making full use of two screens.
Similarly, LG Electronics' "LG G8X ThinQ" is also attracting attention as a smartphone equipped with two screens. This is a mechanism that realizes dual display by installing a special accessory. You can use one of the two screens as a controller to comfortably play the game, and you can use it in various ways.
