It's not often that North America's biggest carrier doesn't sell one of Samsung's latest flagship smartphones from day one, but that was the case this year. When the Galaxy S20 series went official, Verizon had revealed that it would not be offering the Galaxy S20 5G before the second quarter of 2020, because the smallest Galaxy S20 model required some modifications in order to support the carrier's high-end mmWave 5G network.
mmWave 5G connectivity requires two discrete antenna modules placed in the frame of a smartphone, and the relatively compact size of the regular Galaxy S20 doesn't leave any space for those antennas, which is why it only supports 5G networks using the low-band sub-6GHz spectrum. Verizon's 5G network exclusively uses the mmWave spectrum for higher data speeds, and the carrier had to work with Samsung to design a custom Galaxy S20 with support for mmWave 5G.
Well, that custom Galaxy S20 5G for Verizon is finally ready to go, and pricing and release information have now been revealed for the device.
Pre-orders from May 21, retail availability from June 4
Verizon will start taking pre-orders for the Galaxy S20 5G from May 21 through its online store and the My Verizon app, and regular sales will start from June 4. It will cost $999.99 if you prefer paying the full price up front or $41.66/month if you decide to go with a two-year contract. As far as color options are concerned, Verizon will let you choose between Cloud Pink, Cosmic Gray, and Cloud White.
Except for mmWave 5G support, the Galaxy S20 5G on Verizon offers the exact same specs as the model sold by other carriers. That includes a 120Hz 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED display, the Snapdragon 865 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 12MP F1.8 primary rear camera, a 64MP telephoto camera enabling up to 30x zoom and 8K recording, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 10MP selfie camera, 128GB of expandable storage, and a 4,500 mAh battery with 25W super fast charging.
