Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S20 will be available June 4 for $1,000
Samsung's base Galaxy S20 is coming to Verizon with 5G support.
Samsung Galaxy S20 is coming to Verizon with support for its 5G network.
Verizon is finally getting a Samsung Galaxy S20 5G . After first announcing the news earlier this year, the wireless carrier will begin taking preorders for the base model of Samsung's flagship line of phones on May 21. The S20 will go on sale on June 4 for $1,000.
Called the Samsung Galaxy S20 5G UW, Verizon's model is a custom version of the Galaxy S20 that includes support for the carrier's millimeter-wave 5G network as well as its forthcoming low-band 5G network due to launch later this year.
The Galaxy S20 that's been available for months on AT&T , T-Mobile and Sprint only supports 5G on low-band and midband wireless spectrum. This isn't a problem for those carriers, which have widespread deployments of low-band 5G. But Verizon's current 5G network relies exclusively on millimeter-wave, which required a custom, special edition of the phone with the proper 5G hardware inside.
Verizon's millimeter-wave network is live in parts of 34 cities and offers faster speeds than low-band or midband 5G but is severely limited in range and does not work through buildings. The low-band and midband networks, while slower than millimeter-wave, offer much greater coverage and can work indoors and outside.
Samsung's pricier Galaxy S20 Plus 5G and Ultra 5G, which has been sold by all major carriers since launch, support all three flavors of 5G.
Beyond the support for millimeter-wave, Verizon's S20 5G will be nearly identical to those sold by other carriers including having the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, 4,000-mAh battery and 6.2-inch 120Hz display. Verizon's model will be offered in three colors: Cloud Pink, Cosmic Gray and a Verizon-exclusive Cloud White.
Correction, May 20: The original version of this story incorrectly stated the preorder date. You can preorder the S20 5G UW starting May 21.