[Updated] Galaxy S10 5G lands in China ahead of big 5G push

The Chinese network operator and Samsung have had connections for a while now. Back in 2016, they performed 5G network tests and Samsung became a member of the China Mobile 5G Innovation Center in June of that year. According to some reports, China Mobile is expected to be capable of commercializing 5G in more than 50 cities across China by the end of the year. To this end, the carrier intends to deploy over 50,000 5G base station across the country. By 2020, the network operator plans to offer 5G in all of the cities in China which are above the prefecture level.

Due to network limitations, the Galaxy S10 5G launched in China won’t have the ability to flex all of its 5G muscles anywhere in the country, but China is expected to become the world’s biggest country in terms of 5G over the next five years. Having said that, Samsung might also be viewing the launch of its first 5G flagship in China as a symbol of its ambitions to become more relevant, especially in the 5G era. The company has been struggling with poor mobile sales in China. It barely puts a dent into the market as local companies keep dominating the charts, but Samsung is making changes – even to its corporate structure – in order to improve its business there.

Update: It turns out that the Galaxy S10 5G might not be arriving in China, after all. According to @MMDDJ_ on Twitter, the “SM-G9770″ model number linked to the alleged Galaxy S10 5G in China is a testing/sampling unit which is not meant for a consumer release.

[modelinfo model=”SM-G977U”]