Recently, the "5g communication shell", the world's first mobile phone shell that can change 4G mobile phones into 5g per second through ESIM technology, was officially released According to relevant introduction, this "5g communication shell" of soyealink is the first to be adapted to Huawei P50 pro. That is to say, Huawei P50 pro, which can only use 4G network, can use 5g network with the help of this mobile phone case. So what about this case?
5g mobile phone case not "plug-in module"
In fact, as early as two months ago, there were many news about 5g mobile phone cases. At that time, a blogger also sent the "Motorola 5g case" to prove the feasibility of the 5g mobile phone case scheme.
As early as 2018, Motorola launched its own 5g external device 5g moto mod for its new moto Z3, upgrading 4G mobile phones to 5g mobile phones. 5g moto mod has a built-in 2000mAh battery. The module has a complete 5g modem and antenna. With 5g moto mod, moto Z3 can be connected to 5g network.
However, with the official release of official information, the "5g communication shell" of digital source technology is completely different from that of Motorola 5g shell.
To put it simply, Motorola's 5g shell appears as a module of a mobile phone. There is no SIM card slot or ESIM chip inside. The "5g communication shell" of digital source technology is more like another "5g mobile phone", or an independent intelligent terminal device.
We can find the hardware information of 5g communication shell on the official website of digital source technology. 5g communication shell contains ESIM chip, dual core CPU and USB type-C interface for data transmission.
ESIM is a digital SIM card. For example, we have a Tencent QQ account. We only need to enter the account password to log in freely on the mobile phone / computer. The ESIM mode turns the mobile phone number into a login account. As long as the device has an ESIM chip, you can freely switch and log in by downloading card data to the ESIM chip after obtaining the authorization of the operator.
Some operators have also launched ESIM No. 1 dual terminal service, which simply means that the mobile phone number can log in on two smart devices at the same time (the second device is an accessory device, which is currently mostly a smart watch). The two devices share a package and can make calls and surf the Internet respectively.
Therefore, from a technical point of view, there are two ways for the "5g communication shell" of digital source technology. In the first mode, the number one dual terminal mode is used, that is, the mobile phone number of Huawei P50 Pro is the primary number, the number on the 5g communication shell is the "subsidiary number", and the numbers on the two cards are consistent. The 5g communication shell obtains the 5g network through esim, and transmits the 5g network to Huawei P50 Pro through the type-C interface. The second method is to give a new number to the 5g communication shell through the ESIM independent number service, obtain the 5g network through the new number, and transmit the 5g network to the Huawei P50 Pro through the type-C interface. However, at present, this service is mainly for smart watches, so the setting of relevant Internet packages can not meet the Internet demand of mobile phones (only the Internet demand of smart watches). Therefore, the possibility of implementing the second method is unlikely.
Can Apple mobile phone also be used as a "5g communication shell"
In fact, this kind of sharing network is not new in Apple phones or Android phones.
Take Apple Mobile as an example. The "personal hotspot" function of Apple Mobile can share its Internet connection in three ways:
- Wireless local area network (Wi Fi)
- Bluetooth
- USB (wired connection)
With the help of this technology, if we use a 5g Apple phone (such as iphone 13 Pro) start the personal hotspot, and then connect the hotspot with Huawei P50 pro. At this time, Huawei P50 Pro is connected to the 5g network through apple mobile phone. In some ways, Huawei P50 Pro has changed from 4G mobile phone to 5g mobile phone.
Traditional SIM card and esim
For the above Apple mobile phone as a "5g communication shell", some small partners may have some doubts, and feel that this technology is still different from 5g mobile phone shell. After all, this implementation method requires two physical SIM cards, while the "5g communication shell" of digital source technology only requires one physical SIM card. In fact, this is not a technical issue, but the choice of operators.
The first is a cold knowledge about Apple mobile phones. Most of the mobile phones released by apple in recent years have ESIM chips. However, due to the small promotion efforts of operators supporting this ESIM service, domestic users seldom know this. In addition, ESIM services of most domestic operators are mainly used to support Internet of things devices such as smart watches, with little support for mobile phones.
Take China Mobile (Hong Kong) as an example. The ESIM service launched by them allows smart phones, tablets, smart watches and other devices to connect to the network independently without relying on physical SIM cards.
That is to say, if we have an iPhone 13 pro and apply for the ESIM service of China Mobile (Hong Kong), we can achieve the effect that the iPhone 13 Pro can obtain 5g network through ESIM chip. This is consistent with the way that the "5g communication shell" of digital source technology obtains 5g network.
Conclusion
- The essence of 5g mobile phone case is the product of 5g mobile phone after castration. Compared with 5g mobile phones, 5g mobile phone cases do not need batteries, screens, cameras and other components. Moreover, since 5g mobile phone case only needs to handle network functions, and the requirements for CPU are not very high, manufacturers can choose CPU with relatively low performance and low cost. Therefore, the overall cost of 5g mobile phone case is relatively low.
- It is not a high-tech to share the network through USB, nor is it a high-tech to make the product of 5g mobile phone "castrated" into the shape of mobile phone shell. Therefore, the technical threshold of 5g mobile phone case industry is not high. Mobile phone manufacturers and smart watch manufacturers can quickly enter this industry if necessary in the future.
- In fact, the demand for 5g mobile phone cases in the future is not clear. For the mobile phone industry, integration is the future trend. In fact, there are many problems caused by "plug-in". Unless an enterprise with a special situation like Huawei can only solve the 5g problem through "plug-in", it will have a clear demand for this.
- The price of 5g mobile phone case is too high at present. According to the information released by China Unicom, the official price of this 5g communication shell is 799 yuan. From the perspective of hardware configuration, it is not worth the price. Take Tianyi 1 5g cloud mobile phone released in 2020 as an example. Tianyi 1 is equipped with Ziguang zhanrui Huben t7510 5g chip, 6.517 inch hd+ water drop screen, rear fingerprint identification, 4gb+64gb configuration and built-in 5100mah battery. This configuration was only 999 yuan when it was sold that year. Now, the price of this mobile phone on some e-commerce platforms is less than 700 yuan. Even the 5g mobile phone released a few years ago has a much stronger hardware configuration than the 5g communication shell.
- The biggest advantage of 5g mobile phone case is that it adopts the shape of mobile phone case, which continues the normal use habits of mobile phone users.
- 5g mobile phone case will reduce the battery life of the mobile phone. The 5g communication case is designed without battery, so the 5g communication case consumes the battery of the mobile phone, which is bound to reduce the battery life of the mobile phone.
- 5g mobile phone case will incur additional costs per month.
Take the ESIM service of China Unicom as an example. If the ESIM No. 1 dual terminal service is adopted, an additional charge of 10 yuan per month is required. If ESIM independent number service is adopted, the corresponding monthly rent shall be paid additionally every month.