World’s first 5G smartphone: New model downloads 10X faster than competition (VIDEO)

The world’s first phone capable of using 5G connectivity to reach download speeds of up to 1GB per second was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress (MWC). Developed by Chinese firm ZTE the Gigabit Phone is estimated to be available from early 2019.

Speaking at the MWC in Barcelona, ZTE spokesperson Eric Imbert said the increased speed would allow for “virtual reality in 360 degrees with a 4K resolution, instant cloud-storage or even obviously a super fast download speed for the phone’s applications or to watch movies.”

The phone was displayed at the MWC showing off its impressive download speeds, with all phones registering just less than 1GB per second, up to ten times faster than current speeds.

In a statement, ZTE said commercial pre-deployment of the Gigabit Phone would take place in late 2018. Operators are building 5G capable networks before it's rolled out on commercial 5G networks in early 2019.

The Gigabit Phone on display at MWC won’t end up in consumers hands. Instead the operating system-free phone was intended simply to demonstrate the speeds that ZTE’s technology is capable of processing.