Samsung has an ultra-affordable 5G handset in the works... for 2021

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Samsung was the world's first smartphone vendor to commercially release a handset capable of connecting to 5G networks on its own more than a year ago, which made it entirely unsurprising to see the Korea-based tech giant lead this fledgling market segment during Q1 2020

Of course, the one and only Galaxy S10 5G variant was far surpassed in mainstream popularity by the two 5G-enabled Note 10 models that came out last fall and the full S20 5G trio of this spring. 

Apart from these costly high-enders, Samsung also released a slightly cheaper Galaxy A90 5G mid-ranger back in September 2019, followed by 5G-capable derivations of the significantly more affordable Galaxy A51 and A71 earlier this year.

But the company is expected to further broaden the appeal of its 5G smartphone portfolio in the relatively near future with an even cheaper Galaxy A42 model. As the name suggests, this will be a member of Samsung's 2021 series of mid-end Galaxy A devices, following in the footsteps of a 4G LTE-only Galaxy A41 unveiled just a few months back.

Interestingly, the folks over at SamMobile haven't been able to dig up the model number of a prospective A42 variant lacking 5G support, although we still expect this thing to eventually come in both 4G and 5G flavors. The latter, carrying the SM-A426B designation, is tipped to offer 128 gigs of internal storage space, up from the 64GB local digital hoarding room on 2020's Galaxy A41.

Unfortunately, all other Galaxy A42 5G specifications remain under wraps for the time being, and we have no idea if the handset will ever be released stateside either. The Galaxy A71 5G is already available in the US at a reasonable recommended price of $600, mind you, while a 5G-supporting A51 model is due out later this summer for no more than $500. But the 4G LTE-limited Galaxy A41 is nowhere to be found on North American shores, making us fear the same will be true for the A42 5G next year.

If the mystery mid-ranger does end up officially hitting US stores, it seems safe to assume it will cost roughly 400 bucks (maybe even less), undoubtedly making a significant contribution to a big rise in 5G smartphone sales figures.

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