Some 5G phones have started to reach Europe – but the first to be officially available wasn’t what we expected
We’re finally starting to see 5G phones make their way to Europe, after networks and phones became available in the US and South Korea in April, but the race to release the first 5G phone in Europe was a tight one.
In the end the top three contenders crossed the line in quick succession – the Oppo Reno 5G, Huawei Mate 20 X 5G and Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G all became available in Switzerland during May 1 and 2, however the winner was something of a surprise.
The phone that launched on May 1 was the Oppo Reno 5G, a phone from a brand that’s not exactly a household name in Europe, despite being a very popular company in Asia. Many would have expected the title to go to Samsung or OnePlus, so Oppo stealing a march shows the brand is out to make waves.
The first 5G network in Europe came in Switzerland on April 17, when telecoms company Swisscom switched on its 5G network.
At the time there weren’t any commercially-available 5G phones for customers to make the most of the improved connection, but that changed when the first 5G phone from Oppo launched in the country on May 1.
Competition wasn’t very far behind, however – on May 2, Swiss network provider Sunrise made both the Huawei Mate 20 X and Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G available on its website, so the better-known companies had devices available too.
Whether those phones are technically available in Switzerland is a matter of debate, however – while you can pre-order them on Sunrise’s website, there’s no official release date provided, so Oppo may have more of a headstart in the European 5G phone market than people give it credit for.
In the 5G phones race, Oppo is a bit of a dark horse, which is why we’re surprised that it’s bringing home the gold medal.
While Huawei and Xiaomi are relatively big names in Europe, Oppo has yet to really find a market and establish itself.
