The entry-level Galaxy S20 will not be available on Verizon's network in the United States until at least Q2 of this year. This is because the phone does not support mmWave 5G unlike the Galaxy S20+ and the S20 Ultra. The other two phones support both mmWave and sub-6Ghz 5G networks, while the Galaxy S20 only supports sub-6Ghz 5G networks.
Verizon is the only carrier to not carry the regular Galaxy S20 as T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint are carrying all the variants of the device. The largest US carrier's mmWave 5G network is scheduled to go live later this year. Verizon was not keen on selling a 5G phone that would not fully support its upcoming mmWave 5G network which is why it decided against carrying the regular Galaxy S20 entirely for now.
However, Samsung is working with Verizon on a 5G version of the Galaxy S20 that will be fully optimized for its mmWave network. That device will launch in the second quarter of this year. The regular Galaxy S20 lacks mmWave support due to space constraints as it requires the antenna modules to be placed towards the very edge of the device which takes up precious internal space. This also explains why the Galaxy S20+ and the Galaxy S20 Ultra are so big compared to their predecessor.
mmWave 5G networks offer up to gigabit download speeds, but the signal can be easily blocked by walls, trees, and basically anything that comes in the line of the sight between the device and the tower. Sub-6GHz 5G networks are easier to deploy and offer wider coverage but they only offer marginal speed improvements over existing LTE+ networks.
The Galaxy S20+ and the Galaxy S20 Ultra will be available for pre-order on Verizon's network from February 21. The devices will go on sale on March 6.
Source: The Verge
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