You can buy the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G on O2 – even though it doesn’t have 5G yet
O2’s started selling the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, letting you nab the next-gen handset for a modest £54.64 per month, but there’s one catch: Its 5G network isn’t actually live yet.
The phone went on sale on the O2 webstore and physical shops today. It’s currently available on 4G contracts including a basic one that lets you nab the Galaxy S10 5G for £30 upfront on a £54.64 per month, 20GB of data contract.
O2 is set to launch its 5G network in October this year in Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London, Slough and Leeds. A further 20 locations will be reportedly added by the end of the year, with 50 more to follow “by summer 2020”.
Related: 5G phones
Customers that invest in the Galaxy S10 5G will need to swap contracts and change SIMs if they want to take advantage of the phone’s next-gen connectivity when O2 launches its 5G service.
5G is the successor to 4G. It aims to offer buyers a variety of benefits including gigabit-per-second data speeds that will let them download entire TV series in minutes and stream triple-A games over the cloud in 4K using services like Google Stadia.
Related: What is 5G?
Vodafone and EE already have active 5G networks running in select regions of the UK. Three is set to launch its 5G network later this year, but comes with the added bonus that it will upgrade all its existing customers to 5G plans free of charge.
The Galaxy S10 5G was unveiled alongside the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10 Plus and Galaxy S10e at Samsung’s Unpacked event earlier this year. It’s larger than the regular Galaxy S10 featuring a giant 6.7-inch Infinity-O Display. Its camera has also been upgraded to feature custom hQVGA 3D depth-sensing sensor that you won’t find on the other Galaxy S10s.
The Galaxy S10 is one of many 5G phones to hit the market this year. OnePlus joined the party with its latest OnePlus 7 Pro 5G earlier this year. Huawei is set to sell its Huawei Mate 20 X 5G via Three when the carrier’s 5G network launches later this year.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
