Samsung Galaxy S10 Might Not Come With 5G Version As Previously Rumored, Per ‘T3’

Rumors had previously suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S10 will be announced in four versions, including one that supports 5G connectivity. However, a newly spotted certification suggests that Samsung’s next flagship phone will only have three variants upon launch, possibly in an attempt to directly compete with Apple’s iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR.

According to a report from T3, the certifications were spotted on the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (CMIIT) database, and suggest that the Galaxy S10 line will have three variants with the model numbers SM-G9700, SM-G9730, and SM-G9750. As the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus have the respective model numbers SM-G9600 and SM-G9650, T3 speculated that the three model numbers spotted pertain to Samsung’s next generation of Galaxy S phones.

With the sighting of the three model numbers on the CMIIT database, T3 wrote that the Samsung Galaxy S10 will have a standard version, a larger model, and a budget variant, not unlike how Apple has all three for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, respectively. As for the possibility of a Galaxy S10 with 5G support, T3 suggested that this doesn’t appear likely based on the certifications, but also cited a previous statement from Samsung mobile head D.J. Koh that indicated Samsung will be launching a 5G-compatible handset in 2019.

As reported by ZDNet in August, Samsung is currently working closely with South Korean mobile carriers as the company hopes to be the first to release a 5G phone. However, Koh was also quoted by the publication as saying that the Galaxy S10 won’t be Samsung’s first 5G-compatible device, as the company has a separate device in the pipeline that will carry this designation.

On the other hand, other sources have suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S10 will indeed have a 5G version when the device is launched early next year. One month after Koh made the aforementioned comments, Max Weinbach of XDA-Developers analyzed the code from the Android 9 Pie update for the Galaxy S9 Plus and reported that the Galaxy S10 will have four main versions — an entry-level model, the standard S10, the S10 Plus, and the 5G-enabled version.

At the moment, nothing remains confirmed as far as Samsung’s plans for the Galaxy S10 are concerned, but more information should be available in the weeks leading up to the device’s announcement. As noted by TechRadar, rumors have suggested that the Galaxy S10 will either be launched at the next Consumer Electronics Show in January or the next Mobile World Congress toward the end of February.