Huawei ‘to launch world’s FIRST 5G 8K television’ in 2019 to rival Samsung and LG – but it might be a huge waste of money
HUAWEI is planning to release the world’s first 5G television with a ludicrously sharp 8K screen resolution, according to new reports. It would also be Huawei’s first TV, with the Chinese firm previously having focused on smartphones, tablets and laptops. The controversial phone maker has made a name for itself as a top challenger brand […]
HUAWEI is planning to release the world’s first 5G television with a ludicrously sharp 8K screen resolution, according to new reports.
It would also be Huawei’s first TV, with the Chinese firm previously having focused on smartphones, tablets and laptops.
The controversial phone maker has made a name for itself as a top challenger brand to Apple and Samsung.
In fact, Huawei is now the second-biggest smartphone brand globally, only coming in behind Samsung.
Huawei has been widely rumoured to be planning a “smart TV” line-up for 2019, but details have been light – and official info non-existent.
But business site Nikkei reports that Huawei is preparing to release a 5G 8K TV later this year.
The report cites “sources familiar with the plan” who said the supercharged TV would be capable of showing “next-generation” content.
This would capitalise on the speedy 5G download speeds to provide 360-degree videos where viewers can watch in every direction.
It would also mean that you could potentially stream high-quality content – like 8K footage – directly to the TV without a router or set-top box.
It’s worth noting that 5G televisions don’t currently exist, but 8K ones do.
Samsung and LG have both launched 8K televisions – but what exactly is it?
Most TV models you see today are Full HD. That’s how we describe the number of pixels on the screen – the “resolution”.
The pixels are tiny dots that light up and create an image. The more pixels you have, the more detailed that image can be.
A Full HD TV has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. That’s 1920 pixels along the bottom, and 1080 up the side.
So you end up having roughly 2million pixels on the screen in total.
On a 4K TV, you have four times the number – or 8million pixels.
With an 8K TV, you have a screen resolution of 7680 x 4320 pixels – or 33million pixels in total.
However, there’s a big question over whether you can actually tell the difference in detail with 8K compared to 4K, because 4K is already so sharp.
And there’s practically zero 8K content available, so you’d have very little to watch in terms of native 8K videos.
It’s also not clear if we actually need a 5G TV just yet.
The UK is still waiting for a proper 5G roll-out: EE is the only network to confirm launch plans for this year, and they’re limited to specific areas across 16 cities.
Most devices still can’t handle 5G, with just a few phone makers having launched 5G-ready handsets.
It’s likely to be a few years before 5G is available to a meaningful number of Brits across multiple networks.
So owning a 5G 8K TV is largely pointless in 2019.
What is 5G and when is it coming to the UK?
The next-generation mobile tech is almost ready to upgrade your smartphone...
- There is no official definition of 5G but it is thought to be similar to its predecessors, 3G and 4G.
- It will be a wireless connection built specifically to give devices – like your mobile phone or tablet – a faster and more reliable internet connection.
- The “G” in 5G stands for “generation” – that’s why it is known as “next-generation technology”.
- Companies such as BT, Vodaphone and Nokia have also given the development of 5G their support.
- The Next Generation Mobile Networks (NGMN) alliance states that for something to be considered 5G it must offer faster data rates.
- NGMN is hoping for speeds of 20Gbps and one millisecond latency.
- This would provide download speeds which are 40 times faster than 4G.
- NGMN believes 5G would provide an era of being able to download files in the blink of an eye – vital to the success of smart homes and self-driving cars.
- Tests conducted by 5G modem-maker Qualcomm, on the other hand, showed speeds eight times faster than 4G.
- Qualcomm’s trials showed an improvement in browsing download speeds from a 4G average of 56 megabits-per-second, to more than 490 megabits-per-second for 5G.
- There’s no concrete timeline for its arrival: some radio technology-makers say 2019, while networks like O2 are less optimistic, claiming it won’t land in the UK till 2020 plus.
Huawei is currently being hauled over the coals in the UK and USA over Chinese state spying fears.
Last week, a leak revealed Theresa May’s decision to let Huawei build Britain’s 5G mobile network, ignoring concerns over spying and hacking.
Tory MP Bob Seely said the new revelations were “more reason to think again”. He added: “This is about who is in control of the 5G network, and who has control of that information is going to be very powerful.”
America has threatened to stop sharing top-secret intelligence with Britain if it allows Huawei to build its 5G mobile phone network.
A senior White House official warned its spies would have to think twice about talking to the UK if Theresa May does a deal with the “untrusted” Chinese tech firm.
Robert Strayer, Deputy Assistant Secretary for cyber at the State Department, said there was no safe way to work with a company “that could be under the control of an authoritarian government”.
He claimed China could order Huawei to help it carry out cyber attacks and steal Brits’ identities if it is given permission to work on new hi-tech phone lines.
It is another blow to the Prime Minister after news leaked last week that the National Security Council had given the green light for the firm’s involvement in “non-core” parts of the 5G network, despite objections from several Cabinet ministers.
A string of senior MPs said the risk of Chinese espionage was too high, and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said there must be a “degree of caution” because Chinese firms are forced by law to work with their intelligence services.
We’ve asked Huawei for comment and will update this story with any response.
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Would you be tempted by an 8K 5G TV? Let us know in the comments!
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