5G phones officially launch in Chinese market

Sales of 5G mobile phones began in China as soon as the clock ticked past midnight on Monday, as two of the country's biggest online retailers both claimed the very first phone was sold through their platform.

Sina Finance reports that 78-year-old Yang Shiqi placed an order for the ZTE Axon 10 Pro at a physical Suning store in Beijing. Suning says Yang also paid for his 5G data plan and tried it right away.

Yang Shiqi with his newly purchased ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G mobile phone in Beijing on August 5, 2019 [Photo: tech.sina.com.cn]

Another report by Sina Tech says JD.com claimed a 5G phone of the same model was shipped from its warehouse at midnight and was delivered to a Beijing customer, identified by her surname Wen, 10 minutes later. JD.com called the order "China's first actual 5G phone for commercial use".

Apart from ZTE, other major phone makers including Huawei, Xiaomi and OPPO have all announced plans to unveil their 5G phones later this year.

A customer surnamed Wen with her newly purchased ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G mobile phone in Beijing on August 5, 2019 [Photo: tech.sina.com.cn]