Verizon’s 5G Nationwide service is now available on several Samsung Galaxy and LG smartphones

To coincide with the launch of Apple’s new iPhone 12 lineup, Verizon officially unveiled its 5G Nationwide service, the carrier’s low-band (sub-6GHz) 5G network. Apple’s newest devices support Verizon’s new sub-6GHz network out of the box, but the carrier’s existing 5G devices will need a software update before they can connect to it. Verizon spokesperson George Koroneos has confirmed that a software update has rolled out or is in the process of rolling out to a number of 5G-capable devices from Samsung and LG.

The full list is a venerable “who’s who” of top Android smartphones, from the unique LG Wing to the Galaxy Note 20 5G and Galaxy Note 20 5G Ultra. These devices are some of the most popular (and unique) phones on the market, and it’s great to see Verizon roll out support so quickly.

• LG V60 ThingQ 5G
• LG Velvet 5G
• LG Wing
• Samsung S20 5G
• Samsung S20 Ultra 5G
• Samsung S20 Plus 5G
• Samsung Note 20 5G
• Samsung Note 20 Ultra 5G
• Samsung A71 5G
• Samsung A51 5G

If you own one of these devices and you’re a Verizon subscriber, you’ll need to download the software update that’s pushed to your device to access Verizon’s low-band coverage.

Before Verizon’s 5G Nationwide announcement, the carrier lagged behind the competition in terms of 5G coverage as they relied on high-band (mmWave) frequencies. Millimeter-wave networks are more difficult to build out and offer short-range coverage, which is why Verizon’s is only available in parts of a few dozen cities in the U.S. On the other hand, the carrier’s 5G Nationwide sub-6GHz network is available in more than 1,800 cities across the U.S, though the speeds will be much, much slower than the mmWave network. Don’t be surprised if the speeds you’re getting right now are around the same as or only slightly higher than Verizon’s existing 4G LTE network. That’s because Verizon is using a technology called Dynamic Spectrum Sharing to expand coverage, which means the carrier is essentially refarming its existing 4G infrastructure. Once the carrier rolls out its standalone 5G network and deploys some coverage in the mid-band spectrum they recently purchased, we should see faster speeds.

We wrote up a comprehensive guide to 5G, explaining the technology that’s used and its many applications. You can check out a coverage map of Verizon’s 5G network right here.

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