Samsung's 5G smartphone is launching next week
Samsung has announced that its Galaxy S10 5G smartphone will go on sale next Tuesday, May 28, making it the first 5G smartphone available in Australia.
The device will be exclusive to Telstra at launch, and in addition to compatibility with next gen mobile networks it features a larger screen, more cameras and a bigger battery than the existing Galaxy S10+. Australians who have already bought that phone through Telstra will be able to upgrade to the S10 5G at no extra cost.
Samsung has not announced pricing for the S10 5G, but is expected to do so shortly before the device hits store shelves. In the US the phone starts at $US1299 ($1888).
"This is the most anticipated device Samsung has ever launched in Australia as it combines additions to our amazing Galaxy range but also opens the door to the opportunities that 5G experiences will bring people in future", said Samsung Australia's VP of IT and Mobile, Garry McGregor, in a release.
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“With this upcoming launch, we are delivering on years of collaboration with Telstra to help break new ground in device and network performance.”
The Galaxy S10 5G is bigger, thicker and heavier than the S10+, weighing in at 198g. It features a 6.7-inch curved OLED screen and four rear-facing cameras — a telephoto 12MP, wide 12MP, ultra-wide 16MP and 3D depth — as a 10MP shooter and 3D depth camera on the front. It comes with either 256GB or 512GB of storage, has Dolby Atmos stereo speakers and a 4500mAh battery that can be charged faster than the S10+ thanks to Power Delivery 3.0.
The phone was originally announced in February, alongside the flexible Galaxy Fold which was recently delayed indefinitely after faults were reported with its screen and hinge mechanism.
Telstra's 5G plans
Today Telstra also announced the availability of its first 5G mobile hotspot device, the HTC 5G Hub, which will also launch on Tuesday.
Compatibility with 5G will give phones and devices access to unprecedented download speeds when connected to a next gen network, and in the future will allow for high bandwidth, low latency applications like game streaming. But currently Telstra's 5G network is only operational in very specific areas of the capital city CBDs (excluding Darwin) as well as the Gold Coast, Launceston and Toowoomba. When 5G is not available, devices will fall back to 4G.
The telco said that, starting on June 30, it will debut new plans that take 5G into account. For 12 months from that date all Telstra customers with a 5G-compatible device will be able to access 5G speeds, but after that you'll need to have one of the two most expensive plans or pay an additional fee ($15 per month) for access.
Telstra said that anybody who buy a 5G device before June 30, including those that trade up for free from a Galaxy S10+, will get 5G access at no additional cost for the life of their plan.
You can see a map of what Telstra’s coverage is expected to look like at June 30 here.