Intel Announces 5G-Connected Laptops Are Coming in 2019

The future of 5G is nearly upon us. Intel today announced that 5G-capable laptops could be coming as soon as next year.

Intel’s XMM 8000 modems — packed with commercial 5G technology — are expected to show up in Dell, HP, Lenovo and Microsoft notebooks in the second half of 2019, the company wrote in a press release.

“Imagine immersing in untethered VR from anywhere in the world, or downloading a 250 megabyte file in seconds from a parking lot,” Intel wrote. “Or imagine being able to continue participating in a multiplayer game as you ride in an autonomous vehicle on the way to class.”

The company said it’ll show off what 5G might look like in a laptop at a special Mobile World Congress demonstration next week. That sneak peek will be a concept “2 in 1” device powered by an early prototype of Intel’s 5G modem.

While Intel’s press release focused on its partnership with Windows PC makers, it stands to reason that the company will also supply Apple with its 5G modems — eventually, at least.

The next-generation broadband technology is largely expected to revolutionize a variety of industries. It’ll change the way we compute, communicate, and even the way we commute through the proliferation of connected driverless cars.

While much of the hype around 5G centers around nascent technologies and ultrafast smartphone speeds, the new broadband standard is just as likely to impact PCs and notebooks. Even though LTE notebooks are still relatively rare, with blazingly fast 5G technology, laptops with cellular chips could become the norm (and could even replace wired computers).

Theoretically, a 5G-connected laptop would be able to harness extremely fast mobile speeds with a low latency. That means the notebook of the future could play online games just as easily as it could stream multiple 4K videos at once.

Intel isn’t the only company jumping on at the chance to spearhead 5G. Earlier this week, AT&T announced that it would be one of the first telecom companies to roll out 5G networks in the United States. By the end of the year, AT&T said it will deploy 5G in three U.S. cities.

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