iPhone 5G: Apple announces first ever handset with new network technology

Andrew Griffin
Tuesday 13 October 2020 19:30 BST
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Apple has announced 5G iPhones, the first time it has ever integrated the new network technology.

Proponents claim the 5G technology will be both far quicker and more reliable than the existing 4G technology.

While almost all major companies have now released 5G versions of their phones, networks still do not provide full coverage and the technology is yet to be widely available or used. Analysts have suggested that the iPhone’s 5G connection might struggle to fulfil its potential because of the problems with the infrastructure underpinning it.

Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, insisted that the company had worked with network carriers to ensure that the network technology would actually work as promised.

He claimed that the technology represented a “step change” that would fundamentally alter the way the iPhone works.

Hans Vestberg, Verizon chief executive, appeared during the live-streamed event to promise that the network would roll out 5G connections across the country and with particular performance focused on busy areas such as stadiums. 

“We can finally say ‘5G just got real’,” he said during the event.

The announcement came during its biggest event of the year, which also saw the release of the new HomePod Mini.

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