Galaxy S10 5G set the pace for Samsung's 5G phones

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G was one of the first 5G phones in the world. It's also the largest and most expensive in Samsung's pantheon of S10 phones, but an important step in establishing the trajectory for 5G devices.

Just months after its release, the S10 5G has already been supplanted by the Galaxy Note 10 Plus, a sleeker phone that adds extra features and costs the same, a lofty $1,300.

With the S10 5G, Samsung first experimented with the concept of 5G as another premium feature, along with the phone's larger screen and extra time-of-flight sensor, which, unfortunately, doesn't actually add much.

But it's the ticket to ultrafast 5G networks that mattered most when the S10 5G first arrived last spring. 

For early adopters who wanted to experience 5G for themselves, the S10 5G was the premium phone you could buy.

These ultrafast 5G data networks are growing in coverage, which has given Samsung a chance to see how its phones operate in real life.

Samsung has now come out with an even cheaper 5G phone, the Galaxy A90 5G, which costs about $820 -- it won't come to the US.

The S10 5G is a sleek-looking device. Take a look at even more photos, and be sure to brush up on how to tell real 5G from marketing fluff.