Sprint says it will launch its first 5G-compatible devices on May 31st. Buyers will have a choice of one phone — the LG V50 ThinQ, which was revealed in February — and the HTC 5G Hub hot spot. Preorders start on May 17th but only in four markets: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Kansas City. In “the next few weeks,” they should also be available in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix, and Washington, DC.
Sprint is touting what it calls a “limited time” preorder deal for both devices. You can get the V50 ThinQ for $24 per month over an 18-month contract (which works out to $432, compared to what Sprint says is a standard retail price of $1,152). And you can buy the 5G Hub for $12.50 over 24 months for a total of $300, with an extra cost of $60 per month for 100GB of data. Sprint previously said that the Galaxy S10 5G will eventually join these two devices in its lineup, although that phone is going to Verizon first.
Based on this announcement, it seems that Sprint has swapped a couple of 5G launches. Chicago was originally supposed to be one of the first markets, with Houston coming later. But it’s still the same list of cities we heard about in February. (Sprint has been testing its 5G network in Chicago.)
A Sprint spokesperson confirmed that the 5G network would also be live in its first target markets by the end of May, meeting the deadline it set in February. “Today we are sharing that our first 5G devices will be available on May 31. We will have more to share on the network very soon,” the spokesperson told The Verge. “Both devices offer fully integrated mobile 5G and will deliver blazing-fast speeds when Sprint begins launching 5G service in the coming weeks.”
Update 12:55PM ET: Sprint has confirmed that the 5G network will launch by the end of May.