Vodafone UK unveils 5G ready handsets, gaming deal with Hatch
Details
Louise Duffy
| 24 May 2019

Attempting to fight back against rival EE which announced the launch of its own network earlier this week, UK telco Vodafone has revealed its line-up of 5G-enabled mobile phones, ahead of the launch of its 5G network on 3 July.

Vodafone will switch on its 5G network in Liverpool, London, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow and Manchester on 3 July, followed by 12 more towns and cities by the end of the year. 5G-ready smartphones can initially be used over the existing 4G infrastructure, and will use 5G when the network is switched on and all manufacturer software updates are completed. It will also be enabling 5G roaming, which launches in the summer, in Italy, Spain and Germany.

The company will be offering the Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, with contracts starting at £50 per month and £58 per month respectively. Both handsets are available in Vodafone stores and online.

The Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G has a 24 megapixel and 2 megapixel dual camera system, 6.39-inch full screen display, plus 960 frames per second recording, while the Samsung Galaxy S10 is an enhanced S-Series device boasting a 6.7-inch Cinematic Infinity-O display, six cameras with 3D Depth Sensor and 25W wired charging.

The operator has also teamed up with gaming platform Hatch in an exclusive partnership that will allow 5G customers to play games with no downloads, updates or adverts. From 3 July, Vodafone Pay monthly customers will get three months access to Hatch Premium at no extra cost. After that, the service will cost £6.99 a month. They will also gain access to Hatch Kids, designed as a safe space for children to play, create and learn without in-game purchasing or adverts.