5 Ways 5G will affect your experience with future mobile apps

Fifth generation cellular network technology offers a quantum leap in speed and performance over 4G/LTE.

Almost every mobile phone that is launched boasts 5G technology which delivers real-world speeds above 200Mbps and much lower latency.

5G

5G open up exciting possibilities for the creative developers that build our favourite apps.

According to the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA), an association representing the interests of mobile operators and the broader mobile industry worldwide, 5G connections will surpass 1 billion in 2023 and 2 billion by 2025.

This growth represents the fastest generational roll-out for the mobile industry compared to 3G and 4G.

App development using 5G

This means that developers will be moving fast to incorporate 5G’s benefits into their apps.

Technology Holdings Limited (TCL Communication) shared five ways 5G will transform application development in the years to come.

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Silky smooth video

You’ve heard about 4K video and perhaps even experienced it. But today, the experience can often be subpar with slow buffering and even some pixelation. With 5G, you can expect crisp 4K and even 8K video experiences to become the norm in media streaming and video conferencing apps. Lower latency will help smooth out the performance of video apps.

Immersive mixed reality experiences

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are starting to slowly see higher levels of adoption. 5G addresses one of the challenges developers face in creating mixed reality and metaverse apps: the fact that older mobile network technologies don’t have the bandwidth for rich media experiences.

With 5G, developers can start weaving more AR and VR experiences into everything from shopping to gaming.

Innovations in gaming

Developers need to work around limited speeds and latency in designing games for mobile devices. With 5G, they will be able to offer a more consistently lag-free experience in multiplayer games.

They will also be able to use the cloud more effectively too, for example, stream in-game graphical assets or even full games. Games can get bigger and better because they are not limited by your device’s hardware specs.

Snappier interfaces

With 5G, developers will be able to design always-on apps that are fast and responsive. They will be able to use the cloud for more processing, enabling them to deliver richer functionality without compromising on performance.

More accurate location tracking

5G offers significantly more accurate location tracking than 4G. 5G enables location accuracy within 1 meter, compared to within the 10-500 meters range for 4G.

This will enable app developers to create exciting experiences based on your context—for example, location-sensitive information or highly relevant and targeted deals and ad messages.

Compiled by Senior Digital Journalist  Faizel Patel

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