Samsung pushes out its cheapest 5G mobile as Apple is set to release new iPhones

Samsung rolled out its most affordable 5G smartphone yet, beating rival Apple's expected release of its first 5G-enabled iPhone tonight.

The Galaxy A42 5G, the latest in the South Korean consumer electronics giant's budget-conscious A series, will cost £349 ($455) and is almost £40 cheaper than the launch price of the Galaxy A51 5G that was unveiled last April.

“We are excited to bring to [the] market our latest 5G smartphone within the A Series line-up,” said James Kitto, vice president of sales at Samsung for the UK and Ireland.

“The Galaxy A42 5G delivers premium features and innovation, powered ready for superfast 5G network connectivity … it is part of our ongoing commitment to deliver next-generation connectivity to more people,” he added.

The Galaxy A42 5G features a four camera set-up: A 48MP lens main camera, a 8MP ultra-wide camera for better landscape images, and macro and depth cameras with a 5MP lens, which can capture intricate details of close-up objects and create a background blur effect around the subject.

The phone, which also comes with a 20MP front camera, offers a storage capacity of 4GB RAM and an internal space of 128GB that can be extended to 1TB. Weighing 193 grams, it is powered by a battery of 5,000 milliampere hours.

The new phone will be available in the UK from November 6, the company said, without specifying the exact time of its launch in other markets.

With a wider global roll out of the 5G network expected this year, smartphone companies are gearing up to provide more economical 5G-enabled devices. Manufacturers such as Huawei, LG, Motorola and OnePlus are already selling 5G phones.

Apple is expected to launch its first line-up of 5G-enabled smartphones at a virtual event at 9pm UAE time today.

Samsung is already active in the 5G smartphone industry. It sold more than 6.7 million Galaxy 5G phones globally in 2019, and accounted for 53.9 per cent of the 5G smartphone market worldwide by the end of November.

Samsung’s smartphone business, which was hit by a reduction in discretionary spending amid the pandemic, is recovering on the back of a series of new launches in the past two months.

Its smartphone sales declined by 28.9 per cent annually to 54.2 million units in the second quarter of this year, according to International Data Corporation.

However, it is expected to ship 80.6 million smartphones in the third quarter, a 49 per cent increase from the second quarter, according to South Korea-based Daishin Securities.