Samsung has made it very clear that it intends to be the biggest 5G smartphone vendor. The company already shipped almost 7 million 5G phones in 2019, even though it was the first year for commercial 5G networks.
Recent reports have revealed that Samsung is going to offer 5G variants for the entire Galaxy S20 series. A new report suggests that the 5G variants will be more widely available this time around, so it won't be necessary for customers to get them from carriers.
Unlocked Galaxy S20 5G variants to be more widely available
The report finds that many of Samsung's retail partners across Europe have listed the 5G variants of the Galaxy S20 series. This was not the case with the Galaxy S10 5G which was only made available through carrier partners in markets where 5G networks had gone live.
Many of Samsung's retail partners in Europe have listed unlocked 5G variants of the Galaxy S20. This will enable customers to buy a 5G variant even if their carrier doesn't have a commercial 5G network, an option many would consider if they frequently travel to places with 5G networks.
This wouldn't be something out of the ordinary, mind you, as Samsung has already been doing this for the Galaxy Fold 5G. It's possible to buy an unlocked variant of its 5G-capable foldable smartphone, we would know, we bought four of them. This may also be the case for Galaxy S20 5G variants in other markets.
That's not to say that Samsung won't leverage its carrier relationships to sell more 5G units. It's just that the variant won't be exclusive to carriers. This hybrid approach will allow Samsung to ship many more 5G units than it would have done otherwise, and that's really what it appears to be shooting for. The Galaxy S20 is due to be unveiled on February 11 with sales expected to begin a few weeks after the launch.
