Galaxy Note10 5G version sparks controversy, Samsung and operators pass the buck

Samsung Electronics only launched the Galaxy Note10 5G version in South Korea, so the South Korean government asked Samsung Electronics to launch the LTE version, but Samsung Electronics has been slow to change its position. Now the South Korean government has issued an ultimatum, requiring Samsung Electronics and the three major telecom operators to respond positively before the 30th.

According to Korean technology media "edaily", the Korean government's official document mentioned that the latest terminal models must also protect consumers' right to choose and should not be treated differently from overseas. It also requires Samsung Electronics and the three major telecom operators to put forward suggestions or related plans. If no response is submitted before the 30th, it is not ruled out that the problem will be resolved through administrative guidance. 

In fact, after the commercialization of 5G in South Korea, not only did the Galaxy Note10 only launch a 5G version in South Korea, but other smartphones planned to be launched in the second half of the year are also almost all 5G phones. The Galaxy Fold and Galaxy A9, which are expected to be launched in September, and the LG V50S ThinQ, scheduled to be launched in October, are all 5G smartphones. Among the flagship phones, the LTE version has almost disappeared.

Although the 5G version is also backward compatible with LTE services, in the immature stage of 5G commercialization in South Korea, consumers are hesitant to join the 5G plan as they cannot enjoy 5G services even if they spend a high amount of money.

Not only that, the 5G version of Galaxy Note10 uses Samsung's own Exynos processor, while the overseas LTE version uses Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Although both are 7nm process products, in recent software evaluation data, Qualcomm's overall performance is better. For consumers who care about performance, it may also affect consumers' choices. Therefore, Samsung Electronics and operators deprive consumers of the right to choose, which has caused controversy.

Although Samsung Electronics and South Korea's three major telecom operators have not yet officially responded to the government's request, "edaily" reported that Samsung Electronics and the operators are passing the buck to each other. Samsung Electronics said that the pricing of LTE is not much different from 5G. For example, the LTE version sold in Europe is priced at 899 euros (about 1.2081 million won), which is almost the same as the Korean 5G version (1.2485 million won). On the other hand, if the LTE version is to be launched in South Korea, there are also production line problems. Therefore, if Samsung Electronics sells the LTE version in South Korea, the price needs to be lower than the 5G version, but it may cause a backlash from overseas consumers.

The telecommunications companies said that if the monthly subscription contract is changed and the Note10 5G is included in the LTE rate, due to Korean legal restrictions, the telecommunications companies must give consumers the same subsidies, which may cause dissatisfaction among 5G users with higher rates.

As of June 2019, there were 56,023,510 LTE users in South Korea and 1,336,865 5G users. The number of LTE users is more than 40 times that of 5G users. The issue of new flagship phones restricting LTE consumer rights has become a recent focus.