Expect to see dual-SIM 5G phones in early 2020

MediaTek Dimensity 1000 chipset
(Image credit: MediaTek)

Whilst there are already a variety of 5G phones on the market, many business users aren’t interested unless there is a dual-SIM option. Dual-SIMs offer flexibility, as you can have one low-cost option, or separate lines for personal and work life. Thankfully, this option isn’t too far into the future. 

MediaTek has announced the development of its new 5G system-on-chip (SoC), which will be called the Dimensity 1000. And it is being marketed as the first SoC to support 5G 2x carrier aggregation. This means that you can have two lines on the go, either combining them to deliver breakneck speeds of up to 4600Mbps, or enabling you to benefit from the flexibility of using two SIMs.

World's fastest data 

MediaTek claims the "world's fastest" data, with support for combined 4.6Gbps downstream and 2.5Gbps upstream on sub-6GHz 5G networks. The Dimensity 1000 also boasts four ARM Cortex-A77 high-performance cores, four low-power Cortex-A55 cores and a new AI unit that's twice as fast as the prior generation. The five-core image signal processor can handle up to 80-megapixel cameras, bringing a fantastic smartphone experience. 

 Arriving in 2020

The first phones armed with the Dimensity 1000 chipset are expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2020. But one glaring omission will be the lack of support for millimeter wave, which is the high-frequency flavor of 5G currently being used by some 5G networks in the US (this chipset supports sub-6GHz applications of 5G standards, known as mid and low band).

MediaTek’s announcement of its new 5G chipset features comes just days after it finalised an agreement with Intel to deliver 5G modems for PCs.




Fiona Leake

Fiona discovered her love for investing and making money from a young age. Since then this interest has grown and now she loves writing about investing and business, and follows the 5G market closely. She is also a technology enthusiast, and so they tend to be her favourite investments.