Huawei is reportedly working on a phone case that will allow a 5G connection to a non-5G phone. The phone in question is the premium end P50 Series that is 4G only.

When Huawei launched its flagship P50 Series last year everyone felt it would come with 5G capabilities. It was the company’s highly anticipated and top-tier smartphone and not having a 5G connection was out of the question. But everyone was disappointed when the smartphone was announced. Huawei’s ‘laden with high-end specs’ missed the 5G connectivity, the top feature of modern handsets.

But was it deliberate? No, Huawei for sure would have wanted to integrate the fifth-generation cellular connectivity on its jewel-like phone. But Huawei has seen its capabilities come to an extreme low for its smartphone businesses since US restrictions. Let’s elaborate but in brief.

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US Ban Means Huawei Couldn’t Bring 5G to P50 Pro

On the unproven claims of Huawei’s links to the Chinese government, the US has banned it from accessing US-made chips and other resources. This includes advanced chips from American firms. We also know that Huawei can’t build its phones on Android OS hence the HarmonyOS.

The ban means Huawei can’t fulfill its need for RS signal chips and It has cost Huawei from adding the 5G connectivity to many of its smartphones including the P50 Series. But it seems the company is working on a phone case that allows a 5G connection.

A report coming from IThome claims that Huawei is making a phone case that enables the owners of the 4G-only P50 Series to connect to 5G signals. A photograph supposedly shows the high-tech phone case alongside a P50 Series unit.

Characteristically, P50 Pro is a photography-driven high-end gadget from Huawei. On the chipset level though, it gets the power from Snapdragon 888 SoC, which allows only 4G connectivity. But with the phone case, the device will have the ability to receive signals for 5G.

How is that possible? If the phone case does allow a 4G phone to connect to 5G signals, it means Huawei built the phone in such a way that a workaround could allow such a connection. That seems to be another technology milestone for the Chinese company that has accelerated the 5G development worldwide.

Also read: iPhones Helped 5G Smartphone Market Reach 51%

Takeaway

For reference, it is not the first time a peripheral helped a mobile phone get a 5G connection. Back in 2018, the US phone maker Motorozola released its Z3 model. Initially, it only supported till 4G but the company released a magnetic 5G Moto Mod accessory. Once a user stuck it to the back of the phone, it connected to 5G. More specifically, the phone can connect to US operator Verizon’s mid-band 28 GHz mmWave spectrum for a 5G connection.

In Nepal too, such peripheral was used for WiMAX connectivity on phones. As you know, this dated Wireless communication technology was not a cellular network so the phones couldn’t receive their network. But there was a workaround for phones to connect to WiMAX signals.

To connect a phone to the WiMAX network, the phones could use a phone jacket. These jackets used frequency receptors which allowed the phone to establish a connection to a non-cellular WiMAX signal.

How telling is it that Huawei’s phone case could allow 5G on a phone that came with 4G-only connectivity? Do share your excitement with us in the comments below.