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Will Samsung’s 5G technology change the way we use mobile devices?

October 16, 2014

Samsung has achieved record speeds after testing its new 5G mobile network technology.

By The Korea Times Los Angeles staff

Samsung revealed its progress in 5G technology for mobile networks on Wednesday.

After a performance test, Samsung achieved a download speed of 7.5 gigabyte per second (Gbps). Considering that the results surpass its 4G predecessor by close to 14 times its approximate maximum speed according to BGR.com, the new technology has some serious implications regarding the future of mobile device usage.

Every iteration of a newer faster mobile network changes the behaviors of its consumer base and thus the engineering of mobile hardware and software.

Once 4G technology arrived as a standard to consumer mobile devices, users became increasingly dependent on using smartphones for a variety of purposes from media consumption to production and distribution.

As consumer needs evolved, so did the size of mobile devices.

Even within the past few years, we have witnessed the emergence of phablets — an industry term used to describe a hybrid between a phone and a tablet.

When Samsung pioneered a new market in 2011 with the debut of the Galaxy Note, tech blogs like Mashable described the product as “an unwieldy beast.”

Now in 2014, with upgraded mobile networks and wireless internet technology improving at a rapid rate, smart phone users have inevitably chosen mobile devices over desktops and laptops for basic computing tasks.

As for software adaptations, more and more businesses are opening up to developing mobile apps and sites to accommodate customers and their changing behaviors.

The perfect convergence between phones and laptops into one simplified solution seems to be the ongoing trend in the tech industry, and with it we’ve already seen a number of novel hybridizations such as the phablet.

5G technology will most likely not be introduced until next year, but the most recent results from Samsung will certainly influence the industry’s strategies for months to come.