The Sony Xperia XZ Premium is capable of running at Gigabit LTE speeds but what does that actually mean? In short: what you can do with your phone is about to go through a huge change.
This is all thanks to Snapdragon Gigabit LTE, Qualcomm’s revolutionary mobile technology that's paving the way for 5G mobile experience. You read that right, 5G. Your phone is already fast, thanks to 4G, right? Wrong, you haven't seen anything yet.
5G has been made for a future where VR and AR rules the roost and streaming 4K is the norm. These nascent technologies are currently in their infancy but soon the majority of us will be strapping goggles to our face our holding our phones and tablets up to experience a whole new world.
Gigabit LTE will be helping to power this technology, with peak download speeds up to 1 gigabit per second, and real world everyday speeds in the hundreds of megabits per second. Compare this to the average broadband connection of 36.2Mbps (according to Ofcom) and it's a phenomenal speed bump.
And the best news is there is a handset that can already handle this type of speed boost. The Sony Xperia XZ Premium is capable of running at Gigabit LTE speeds. But what to do with all the extra speed?
Here are 5 things - other than VR and AR - that will transform the way you use your mobile phone that will get you excited for 5G, powered by Snapdragon Gigabit LTE technology.
1. Seamless, on-the-go streaming of 4K video
We've all been there, watching something on our streaming service of choice and it's getting to a good part. Suddenly everything is ruined by stuttering, slow speeds. Our phone turns into a buffering buffoon and we're left frustrated.
Gigabit LTE finally helps put an end to this. With real world speeds that could be in excess of 100 Mbps, you won't need to worry about buffering or delay It will transform people's commutes, long car journeys and save precious on-device storage space.
Plus, the extra speed boost will mean you can take advantage of 4K on a mobile and things like HDR without the fear that your connection will downgrade everything to potato quality.
2. Instant app, game, music and movie downloads
Theoretically, Gigabit LTE could reach speeds up to 1 Gbps. In the real world, when the technology is used by the masses, though, you should still be able to download movies and whole albums in a matter of seconds.
This means that no matter what you want content wise, you'll be able to have it downloaded to the device of your choice whenever you want; no more waiting to connect to Wi-Fi.
3. Better reception in crowded areas
Having 4G is all very well, but the chances are your connection has already slowed because of the amount of people using it on your network.
And when you get to somewhere with even more people than your average crowded train, such as a stadium, everything grinds to a halt. With tens of thousands of other people around, wonder why your phone refuses to play ball?
A Gigabit LTE handset will perform a whole lot better in these situations, helping you complete your tasks quicker, taking you off the network and free up space for others more efficiently. Once Gigabit LTE has ubiquitous coverage, it will transform browsing the web and streaming in densely populated areas.
Get ready for the ability to share your stadium experiences with the world in crystal clear clarity and in real time.
4. A better mobile internet for all
Even though 5G isn’t here yet, we are already feeling the benefits. The Sony Xperia XZ Premium can support Gigabit LTE speeds on networks such as EE’s.
As more people start to use Gigabit LTE-equipped phones, the more the networks will benefit. It’s a simple but very effective equation: those with Gigabit LTE phones are on the network for a less amount of time, which leaves more space for others to use the network.
Using data much more efficiently means that we all benefit, whether you are among the first to use Gigabit LTE or not.
5. Home broadband unwired?
The simple fact is for the majority of people, the speeds you get from Gigabit LTE may far exceed what you get from your average home broadband connection.
This means that with the advent of Gigabit LTE, your phone may one day become the centre of your connected home.
