Can’t wait to check out a 5G phone? Well, you may already have one in hand, kinda sorta. Over a dozen flagship models, including Samsung’s Galaxy Note8 and S8, LG’s V30, the HTC U11 and Motorola’s Z2 Force Edition, feature Qualcomm’s X16 modem, which can theoretically provide peak data downloads of 1 gigabit per second. But the chipmaker is already readying an X24 LTE modem, an interim step before true 5G arrives next year, whose 2Gbps speeds will allow you to download all of “Stranger Things” Season 2 in just over 8 seconds.
“The first phones to tap into ludicrous 5G speeds won’t land until 2019, but you won’t need to wait that long to start taking advantage of supercharged 4G LTE.”
