Watch: We unboxed the very first 5G device in the Philippines!

Recently, we got our hands on the Huawei 5G CPE Pro, the very first 5G device in the Philippines.

Huawei 5G CPE Pro

Meet Huawei 5G CPE Pro with Balong 5000 modem

Huawei 5G CPE Pro

Huawei 5G CPE Pro is a 5G modem designed for home and office use. It uses Huawei's own 7nm Balong 5000 5G multi-mode chipset which allows switching between different bands from 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G effortlessly.

It also has 5G/4G fixed-line triple links as well as compatibility with smart home applications.

Here are the ports at the back

Once you open the box, the first thing that you will see is the device itself. It is a fairly big device but the design looks modern and futuristic.

One side holds two buttons labeled as 5G and 4G. At the back, you will see the power button, 2 LAN ports, WAN, and power input.

There's also a compartment above the ports which may be for antennas.

It comes with an RJ45 cable and a three-pronged power brick

Accessories inside the box include an RJ45 Ethernet cable and a three-prong power brick. This type of plug may require users to use an adapter as it is not standard here in the Philippines. 

What is the use of Huawei 5G CPE Pro?

It is powered by the 7nm Balong 5000 chipset

As with any modems, you are going to use it to connect your smart devices into the network via wired or wireless connections. But, this modem allows the user to tap into the faster speeds of 5G.

Huawei 5G CPE Pro with the sub-6GHz channel can support up to 4.6 Gbps of download speeds.

As of now, 5G is only available via Globe here in the Philippines.

Price and availability

As of now, we do not have any information about the price and full availability of the Huawei 5G CPE Pro in the Philippine. What we do know is that it is available in Globe stores like in BGC and Pasig.

Globe at Home 5G comes with speeds up to 100 Mbps at the moment. Most people's concern is about data caps.

The logic of concern is that if 5G is too fast then users will easily cap out their data plans. 

But, Globe 5G plans have 2TB data cap per month or around 66GB per day. Most likely, it is big enough for most users.

Globe at Home 5G is available at 20 Mbps for PHP 1,899, 50 Mbps for PHP 2,499, and PHP 2,899 for 100 Mbps.

At the moment, the speeds of Globe at Home 5G may just be place holders for the initial launch of 5G as it is way below Balong 5000 limits.

Globe told us that this is just the start hinting at faster 5G speeds in the near future.

Watch here:

Initial thoughts

Nano-SIM only

Huawei 5G CPE Pro showed a lot of promise. Although it is not yet readily available for everyone just yet, the fact that it arrived is a big thing.

Some people hate the idea of switching to 5G, but it is here to stay.

5G networks will have faster deployment than 4G. It means that it will reach our homes faster than what we experience with fixed lines and 4G.

Yes, the state of internet speeds in the Philippines is far from the ideal. But if 5G is deployed properly by Globe and Huawei (along with their competitors), it could be the future internet solution we need.

What do you guys think?