To many, Hong Kong is just a transit or stopover destination.
That is, just staying in the transit hall of Hong Kong International Airport for a few hours or overnight or seeing the country for a few days.
But I believe you cannot fully enjoy and experience Hong Kong in just a few days.
I stayed with my boyfriend, a Hong Kong local, during my latest visit to Hong Kong for two weeks.
It allowed me to see the country from a different perspective than a regular traveler… and I loved it 😍.
But even then… two weeks may be a bit too short.
But the issue is that Hong Kong is not as cheap as many other Southeast Asian countries – or even China up north.
And the same can be said about SIM card prices and mobile data rates – they could be cheaper, but they are not too bad.
Anyway, as I had two full weeks to explore Hong Kong, I had plenty of time to test various SIM cards and travel eSIMs.
In fact, I tested four local SIM cards and eSIMs, including China Mobile Hong Kong, eight travel eSIMs & one travel SIM card by Holisdaysimcard (which I also used in Australia and Singapore).
And I did more than 55 speed tests with each SIM card and (travel) (e)SIM (card) – going to tourist attractions and visiting residential districts (in the New Territories) so that you can have a solid idea of how each SIM card or eSIM performs depending on your style of travel.
So I spent about 2650 HKD (≈ 326.15 USD) for my Hong Kong SIM card and travel eSIM review series – yeah… I went all out for you 😎.
So when I say that China Mobile Hong Kong is the best in the title, you can believe it truly is – especially when I compare it to three other Hong Kong SIM cards (CSL Mobile, 3 Hong Kong & SmarTone Hong Kong).
But of course, I will explain why China Mobile Hong Kong is amazing throughout this review.
Let's get started, shall we?
Original publication: 26th of January 2023. Last updated: 15th of January 2024.
Table of Contents
Who is China Mobile Hong Kong?
China Mobile Hong Kong (中國移動香港有限公司), just China Mobile but also known as CMHK, is the largest mobile operator in Hong Kong.
As the name implies, it is run by China Mobile from China – the largest mobile operator in China and worldwide, with around 950 million subscribers.
But all Chinese mobile operators, including China Telecom and China Unicom (the latter is also active in Hong Kong as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) on the 3 Hong Kong network), are run by the Chinese government because… well… reasons.
Anyway, in Hong Kong, you have four mobile operators (and various sub-brands) offering prepaid services easily accessible to travelers:
- China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK – 中國移動香港有限公司)
- CSL Mobile by Hong Kong Telekom (HKT (香港電訊有限公司) – 香港移動通訊有限公司) – includes 7-Connect & Club SIM
- 3 (Three) Hong Kong (3香港) – includes SoSIM
- SmarTone Hong Kong (數碼通)
As you know, I tested the other three mobile operators during my stay in Hong Kong. You can read them here: CSL Mobile, 3 Hong Kong & SmarTone Hong Kong.
Let's talk about China Mobile Hong Kong's coverage first, after these quick frequency details:
- 2G: 1800 MHz
- 3G: 2100 MHz
- 4G/LTE: 900 MHz (Band 8), 1800 MHz (Band 3), 2100 MHz (Band 1), 2300 MHz (Band 40) & 2600 MHz (Band 7)
- 5G NR: 3500 MHz (n78) & 4700 MHz (n79)
- VoLTE: Yes (but not for prepaid customers)
- VoWiFi: Yes (but not for prepaid customers)
Here you have China Mobile Hong Kong's APN settings:
- Name: CMHK Data
- APN: cmhk
Note: leave anything not mentioned above untouched.
China Mobile Hong Kong Coverage + My Experience
You can have a mobile operator providing you 1 Gbps download speeds.
But it will be useless if it covers only one street in Hong Kong.
So, how is China Mobile Hong Kong's coverage?
Honestly, the four mobile operators cover practically all of Hong Kong (mostly because it is a small city-state), with an availability of more than 98.6%.
4G/LTE reception is so good in Hong Kong that I thought 3G did not exist anymore (until 3 Hong Kong was stuck at 3G a handful of times 😩).
When looking at 5G NR availability, China Mobile Hong Kong has the best availability together with CSL Mobile (22.9%). Ahead of 3 Hong Kong (21.4%) and SmarTone Hong Kong (17.7%).
So far, I have been talking about coverage from other reports, but what was my coverage experience with China Mobile Hong Kong?
It was excellent, honestly – I had nothing to complain about.
I purchased a China Mobile Hong Kong MySim SIM card with 5G NR access (blue starter pack – more about that later) because that was the only China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card allowing you to use its 5G NR network at that time.
Surprisingly, I never fell back down to 4G/LTE or 3G during my stay in Hong Kong, which I thought was remarkable – not even once.
And yes, that includes while being on the MTR too.
In fact, I believe that Hong Kong is the only country (in my experience) where your connection does not cut off while undergroud – even when the train is on the move.
So that is cool 😎.
Below is China Mobile Hong Kong's coverage map produced by Speedtest:
How to Get a China Mobile Hong Kong SIM Card (or eSIM) & Prices
Now that you have a basic understanding of China Mobile Hong Kong and the telecom market in Hong Kong, it is now time to talk about how to actually get a China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card.
Unlike most countries in Asia, I do not recommend visiting a China Mobile store to get a China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card.
And I discourage it in this case.
Most China Mobile stores only deal with postpaid customers – not prepaid customers.
So they will tell you to go to a 7-Eleven instead, which you should do.
What about Circle K? They primarily sell CSL Mobile SIM cards (including 7-Connect and Club SIM).
PARKnSHOP and Watsons are owned by the holding group that owns 3 Hong Kong (CK Hutchison) and only sell SoSIM SIM cards (by 3 Hong Kong).
Plus, there are way more 7-Elevens than China Mobile stores, so it will be easier and quicker to visit one than a China Mobile store.
What about grocery stores? Wellcome (yes, with two ls) often sells SIM cards, but they are speed restricted.
Previously, many supermarkets did too, but as of March 2022, SIM card registration rules came into effect in Hong Kong after avoiding it for many years, making the country the final East Asian country to do so.
- Find out which countries have SIM card registration regulations and what is required from you (lookup tool)
And what about at Hong Kong International Airport? China Mobile Hong Kong SIM cards are available from the Global Exchange store after picking up your suitcase(s) and before walking through the door to the arrivals hall (in the B section of the arrivals hall – I have no idea about section A).
In the arrivals hall, there are Travelex and China Mobile stores in the B section (close to the large information display).
Just note that the staff at this China Mobile store are not the warmest… but my boyfriend told me that Hong Kong customer service focuses on efficiency instead of chit-chat… so yeah 🥲.
Only two SIM cards are sold at the China Mobile Hong Kong International Airport store, which I go over in my Hong Kong International Airport SIM card buying guide.
Note that this store is open from 10:30 to 22:00, while the 7-Eleven, basically next door, is open 24/7.
Unfortunately, the 7-Eleven store only sells CSL Mobile SIM cards for some reason.
The Global Exchange and Travelex stores open and close a bit earlier and later than the China Mobile store, but both stores only sell one SIM card (costing 88 HKD with 80 GB of data @ 21 Mbps).
Disclaimer: the SIM card prices mentioned in the review were current when I was in Hong Kong – the offering and prices may have changed since then. To see China Mobile Hong Kong's current starter packs, check out my Hong Kong SIM card buying guide
Alright, which China Mobile Hong Kong starter packs are available?
You need to be aware of three lines: MySIM, the regular line & a Tourist SIM Card.
The following two China Mobile MySIM SIM cards are available:
| Price | SIM Card | Data | Local Minutes | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 HKD | MySIM 4G SIM | 50 GB 1, 2 | 5000 minutes | 30 days |
| 48 HKD | MySIM 5G SIM | 3 GB | N/A | 30 days |
1 @ 42 Mbps
2 +unlimited data @ 128 Kbps after exhausting your data allowance (super slow!)
MySIM SIM cards cannot be purchased in China Mobile stores – only at 7-Eleven and (some) Circle K stores.
The following four regular China Mobile SIM cards are available:
| Price | SIM Card | Credit | Data | Local Minutes | China Minutes | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 HKD | 4G Super Talk Prepaid | 46 HKD | 2 GB 1 | N/A | N/A | 30 days |
| 80 HKD | Data & Voice Prepaid | 78 HKD | 3 GB 1, 2 | N/A | N/A | 30 days |
| 98 HKD | Local Data Prepaid | 18 HKD | 5 GB 1, 3 | N/A | N/A | 30 days |
| 198 HKD | 18 GB Local Data Prepaid | N/A | 18 GB | 1200 minutes | 300 minutes | 365 days |
1 +unlimited data @ 384 Kbps after exhausting your data allowance (annoyingly slow!)
2 @ 7.2 Mbps
3 @ 21 Mbps
You can get these SIM cards in China Mobile stores, but salespeople will often direct you to the nearest 7-Eleven anyway.
Finally, you have the China Mobile Hong Kong Tourist SIM card, sold for 88 HKD, giving you 80 GB @ 21 Mbps, unlimited data between 23:00 – 7:00 (also @ 21 Mbps), 1000 local minutes & 10 local SMS for 30 days.
While I bought this SIM card, I did not use it (I bought it for collection purposes).
No, I went to a 7-Eleven in Hong Kong proper and got the 48 HKD MySIM 5G SIM card because that was China Mobile Hong Kong's only SIM card allowing prepaid customers to use its 5G NR network.
And you know I want to try the newest and fastest when available 😎.
However, you may have to try multiple 7-Eleven stores because most primarily sell CSL Mobile SIM cards or the MySIM 4G SIM card instead.
TIP: go to Sham Shui Po (the nearest MTR station has the same name) and get a China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card there from one of the many resellers.
Yes, these are legitimate SIM cards. The resellers can sell the local SIM cards at low(er) prices because (1) they bought them in bulk or (2) they got a special deal. Travel SIM cards for worldwide use are sold here for competitive prices but note that many have speed restrictions.
Some resellers even allow you to pick your phone number for an additional fee (phone numbers containing multiple 8s are more expensive because they are considered a lucky number in Chinese culture).
If you enter the China Mobile Hong Kong store at the airport or around the country, you will see that they sell way more starter packs than the ones I mentioned so far.
That is because those are SIM cards to be used abroad in Asia, Europe, North America, or Oceania.
So yeah… they will be useless for Hong Kong, lol.
Anyway, back to the local SIM cards.
As I listed in the tables above, only a handful of starter packs and SIM cards do not have speed restrictions up to 21 Mbps, such as the MySIM 5G SIM card, (48 HKD) 4G Super Talk Prepaid SIM card & the (198 HKD) 18 GB Local Data Prepaid SIM cards.
I would avoid the (80 HKD) Data & Voice Prepaid SIM card because speeds @ 7.2 Mbps are on the slow end, whereas 21 Mbps is reasonable (but you can get way faster speeds than that on the China Mobile Hong Kong network).
After you purchase your China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card, every store will remind you that self-registration is mandatory before using your SIM card.
If you ask them if they can assist you with registration, most will say no 🗿 (but you can go back if you experience issues with registration… but they want you to try it yourself because they cannot be bothered, it seems).
Like many East- and Southeast Asian countries, self-registration has been made easy in Hong Kong and can be done online.
Do not bother downloading the China Mobile Hong Kong app for registration because it is just the registration page embedded in the app, and it is more clumsy to do so.
And you can also register ten prepaid SIM cards PER mobile operator (unlike Singapore's strict limit of three).
Do you even need that many active SIM cards in your name? Probably not – not even me, but at least Hong Kong is generous with its allowance 😎.
I will not go over the steps on how self-registration works with China Mobile Hong Kong because they are easy to follow.
But you should know that you have to take a photo of your passport, specifically the part with the machine-readable section, and upload it to the China Mobile Hong Kong website.
But preferably not as in the photo above because the holder covers the upper right corner (the site will not accept a picture like this).
Follow the steps, and your SIM card should be registered within five minutes (you will be notified by email and text message).
In the meantime, dial *#130# to ensure you can receive text messages, as you often have to perform an action before the SIM cards get properly connected to the network.
Note that because of the SIM card registration law, your phone number is no longer listed on the starter pack.
Instead, your China Mobile Hong Kong phone number will be assigned to you once registration has been successful.
Unfortunately, the activation text messages are only in traditional Chinese characters (while its competitors send their text in English alone or both Chinese and English).
But you can easily see your phone number in the text message.
That is it! You have now successfully activated and registered your China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card.
Okay, that is enough talk about SIM cards – what about the new and incredible eSIM technology?
While China Mobile Hong Kong has eSIMs, they are currently not offered to prepaid customers.
If you do not care about calling or texting, getting a travel eSIM from Airalo, Holafly, Nomad, Simify, or Ubigi can be an option if you really want to use an eSIM.
The links above will get you to my in-depth reviews of those eSIMs when used in Hong Kong.
But if you want a quick comparison of the travel eSIMs I recommend for Hong Kong, you should read my Hong Kong eSIM comparison guide – I also drop a few discount codes for you 😏.
China Mobile Hong Kong Plans, Bundles & Offers
China Mobile Hong Kong has two data-featured prepaid plans: 4G/3G Local Data Packages & 5G Local Data Packages.
Disclaimer: these were the available plans at the time I was in Hong Kong – the offering may have changed since then (including whether 5G NR is available to prepaid customers or not). To see China Mobile Hong Kong's current plans, check out my Hong Kong SIM card buying guide (which gets updated regularly – at least twice a year).
I will list all the prices in HKD (Hong Kong Dollar).
To convert HKD to your currency (let's say NTD – New Taiwan Dollar) with up-to-date exchange rates, use the Wise Currency Converter tool.
4G/3G Local Data Packages
The 4G/3G Local Data Packages are data bundles (without 5G NR access).
The following 4G/3G Local Data Packages are available, which can be activated by dialing the Activation Code:
| Price | Data 1 | Validity | Activation Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 HKD | 1 GB | 1 day | *103*100*35# |
| 30 HKD | Unlimited @ 384 Kbps | 10 days | *103*100*09# |
| 38 HKD | 2 GB | 3 days | *103*100*13# |
| 40 HKD | 2 GB 2 | 30 days | *103*100*44# |
| 48 HKD | 3 GB | 5 days | *103*100*07# |
| 68 HKD | 3 GB @ 7.2 Mbps 2 | 30 days | *103*100*16# |
| 88 HKD | 3 GB 2 | 30 days | *103*100*17# |
| 198 HKD | 18 GB 3 | 365 days | *103*100*14# |
1 +unlimited data @ 384 Kbps after exhausting your data allowance (super slow!)
2 auto-renews (dial *103*02# to disable auto-renewal)
3 +1200 local minutes and 300 minutes to China
5G Local Data Packages
The 5G Local Data Packages are data bundles (with 5G NR access).
The following 5G Local Data Packages are available, which can be activated on the MyLink Smart · life app:
| Price | Data | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| 18 HKD | 1 GB | 90 days |
| 150 HKD | 10 GB | 90 days |
China Mobile Hong Kong Top-Up, Recharge & Balance Check
China Mobile Hong Kong top-up vouchers are sold in China Mobile stores, grocery stores, corner shops & electronics shops throughout Hong Kong.
To top up your China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card, dial *139*VoucherCode# or call 67001111 and follow the instructions.
For example, if your voucher code is 123456, you would dial *139*123456#.
Or you can redeem vouchers online.
You can also recharge online with (international) debit and credit cards.
Dial *#130# to check your China Mobile Hong Kong balance.
You can also top up and check your balance on the MyLink Smart · life app (Android/iOS/Huawei AppGallery).
China Mobile Hong Kong Speed Test Results in Hong Kong
Alright, now it is time to talk about the speeds you can expect with China Mobile Hong Kong after covering all the other essential topics like coverage.
But before I share my 56 speed test results throughout Hong Kong (mostly on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon), I want to set the stage first and make a small comparison with China Mobile Hong Kong's competition.
China Mobile Hong Kong is regarded by Speedtest as the fastest mobile operator in Hong Kong in Q1 2022.
With a median download speed of 66.11 Mbps, China Mobile Hong Kong is ahead of SmarTone Hong Kong (48.14 Mbps), CSL Mobile (45.96 Mbps) & 3 Hong Kong (32.52 Mbps).
The same applies when looking at 5G NR speeds; China Mobile Hong Kong is the fastest with a median download speed of 172.19 Mbps, ahead of 3 Hong Kong (155.81 Mbps), SmarTone Hong Kong (145.20 Mbps) & CSL Mobile (116.80 Mbps).
China Mobile Hong Kong and SmarTone Hong Kong allow prepaid customers to use their 5G NR networks if you purchase the correct SIM card.
For China Mobile Hong Kong, this would be the MySIM 5G SIM card (blue starter pack).
If you get any other China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card, including MySIM 4G, you will not have 5G NR access.
Moreover, most regular China Mobile Hong Kong SIM cards have speed restrictions (@ 7.2 Mbps or 21 Mbps), while MySIM 4G is restricted @ 42 Mbps, so choose wisely.
Anyway, as I got the MySIM 5G SIM card, I have plenty of 5G NR results to share with you.
In fact, all the results were on 5G NR, surprisingly!
I did speed tests with the Speedtest app throughout Hong Kong.
For reference, I consider an average download speed of 25 Mbps and an average of 10 Mbps upload speed fast enough.
Preferably, download speeds should be 100 Mbps+ on 4G/LTE… but we are not there yet 🗿.
But why these averages?
A download speed of more than 25 Mbps is enough to video stream content @ 4k resolution.
Social media sites that allow for live streaming, like Facebook Live, recommend an upload speed of at least 10 Mbps.
So, that is why – but that does not mean that a download speed of less than 100 Mbps excited me 😏.
But Australia spoiled… everything slower than 300 Mbps is slow now 🤣.
Anyway, you will also see that some of the results are in red, green, underlined, or in italics.
Underlined results are on 5G NR, while results in italics are on 3G.
The results in green represent that that result was the fastest download or upload speed of all the Hong Kong mobile operators (China Mobile Hong Kong, CSL Mobile, 3 Hong Kong & SmarTone Hong Kong).
The results in red are the opposite; they are the slowest of them all.
Unlike most of my reviews, I will not split Hong Kong reviews into cities because Hong Kong is a city-state.
Yes, it officially has cities (like the City of Victoria, Kowloon & New Kowloon; the Government of Hong Kong does not use them for administrative purposes – only as geographical limits.
I could have split it up in Hong Kong's 18 districts between Hong Kong Island, Kowloon & New Territories, but that would have wasted our time (you reading this review and me writing it).
Some of these districts, especially those in the New Territories, are mainly/entirely residential, so there is little incentive for tourists like you and me to visit them.
With all of that out of the way, let's see how China Mobile Hong Kong performed in Hong Kong.
China Mobile Hong Kong Speed Test Results in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon & New Territories
Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated countries, or Special Administrative Region (SAR) if we want to be correct, worldwide behind Macau (also a SAR), Monaco & Singapore.
There are not many countries where you struggle to walk on the pavement because there are so many people around as Hong Kong without getting constantly pushed.
And I was there during the winter and when the China-Hong Kong border just opened – imagine how crazy it is during summer 😳.
But the country has a lot to offer: fantastic food, Ocean Park (attraction park) & even Disneyland for those who want it.
And of course smaller attractions, such as the Central–Mid-Levels escalator – the longest outdoor covered escalator in the world, The Peak (with the peak tram) & the Big Buddha (Ngong Ping) cable car.
The latter is 5.7 kilometers long and takes 25 minutes – and you even have a clear (called crystal) car option if you dare.
I am not fond of heights… but I actually enjoyed being in the crystal car… so I bet you will too!
Anyway, let's finally talk about my China Mobile Hong Kong speed test results, right?
Okay… those are lot of results and locations! Let me break it down a little.
According to my (Hong Kong-Indonesian) boyfriend, most travelers will stay and visit Hong Kong Island and Kowloon because there is where all the fun stuff is (districts 10-18 on the map) – and that is what we did too.
All districts in the New Territories, 2-9, are residential, and there is not much to do unless you actually reside there, excluding the occasional shopping mall or something.
The major exception is District 1: Islands, where Hong Kong's outlying islands are, including Chek Lap Kok (Hong Kong International Airport), Cheung Wan (accessible by ferry for a reasonable fee) & Lantau Island (Big Buddha and Disneyland).
Almost all tests were done in Kowloon City (10), Kwun Tong (11), Sham Shui Po (12), Wong Tai Sin (13) & Yau Tsim Mong (14) in Kowloon + Central and Western District (15), Eastern District (16), Southern District (17) & Wan Chai (18) on Hong Kong Island.
Okay, so what about the results in Jordan for example? Are they the results of the country of Jordan?
No – that is just the Hong Kong neighborhood called Jordan (in Yau Tsim Mong District to be exact).
Where the neighborhood was available, I wrote it down as that (like Jordan) – else the district (like Sham Sui Po).
Okay, that was your introduction to Hong Kong districts and neighborhoods 🤓 – let's talk about my China Mobile Hong Kong results.
Blazing-fast speeds with China Mobile Hong Kong in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon & New Territories.
In fact, China Mobile Hong Kong had the second-fastest absolute download speed (482.35 Mbps) and the fastest absolute upload speed (104.78 Mbps) in Hong Kong (the former behind SmarTone Hong Kong (632.55 Mbps)).
I had an average download speed of 172.11 Mbps and a median download speed of 34.48 Mbps with China Mobile Hong Kong; it passed the 4K video streaming test in Hong Kong (minimum of 25 Mbps).
The same counts for the HD live streaming test in Hong Kong – China Mobile Hong Kong had an average upload speed of 34.48 Mbps and a median upload speed of 30.30 Mbps, making it pass the HD live streaming test (minimum of 10 Mbps).
China Mobile Hong Kong's slowest download speed was at Lai En Kee (黎恩記) restaurant on Cheung Chau Island (5.16 Mbps on 5G NR).
This was way too slow to pass the 4K video streaming test (minimum of 25 Mbps). This also made China Mobile Hong Kong the worst performer at this location (with 3 Hong Kong the second-slowest (20.58 Mbps on 4G/LTE)).
When we look at the travel eSIMs and the 3 (UK) SIM card by Holidaysimcard I tested, China Mobile Hong Kong was the third-worst performer (ahead of Ubigi (0.34 Mbps on 4G/LTE – on the 3 Hong Kong and SmarTone Hong Kong networks) and the Nomad APAC eSIM (0.45 Mbps on 4G/LTE – on the CSL Mobile network)).
China Mobile Hong Kong's worst upload speed performance was at a McDonald's in Jordan (1.10 Mbps on 5G NR), making it fail the HD live streaming test (minimum of 10 Mbps).
Surprisingly, none of the other mobile operators performed better here, as China Mobile Hong Kong was the fastest.
As SmarTone Hong Kong was the other mobile operator offering 5G NR access to prepaid customers, here are the results between China Mobile Hong Kong and it.
As you can see, both mobile operators had 5G NR reception anywhere I did tests (+other places where I did not do speed tests).
As the average and median download and upload speeds are similar between China Mobile Hong Kong and SmarTone Hong Kong, I cannot say either is inherently faster.
Except for the fact that the fastest download speed I got was with SmarTone Hong Kong (632.55 Mbps) in The Peak Galleria.
China Mobile Hong Kong did exceptionally too, with a download speed of 345.90 Mbps.
China Mobile Hong Kong shined at the Lai Chi Kok Park Chinese Garden (482.35 Mbps).
SmarTone Hong Kong did well too, with a download speed of 202.02 Mbps.
Other notable locations where China Mobile Hong Kong outshined everyone else, including SmarTone Hong Kong, were:
- ICF Mall in Central and Western District (248.84 Mbps)
- Mid Levels Escalators in Central and Western District (362.73 Mbps)
- Tim Ho Wan in Hong Kong (MTR) Station in Central and Western District (126.91 Mbps)
- Tung Wan Beach at Cheung Chau island (116.59 Mbps)
- Hong Kong International Airport (arrivals and departures – 178.31 Mbps and 167.14 Mbps, respectively)
- Australia Dairy Company in Jordan (384.40 Mbps)
- Chinese University of Hong Kong Chung Chi Tang Student Canteen in Ma Liu Shui (154.53 Mbps)
- Thomas HC Cheung Gymnasium 張煊昌體育館 in Ma Liu Shui (82.60 Mbps)
- Haiphong Road Temporary Market Cum Cooked Food Hawker Bazaar in Tsim Sha Tsui (258.91 Mbps)
So yeah, the China Mobile Hong Kong MySIM 5G SIM card performs well – I do wonder how fast its 4G/LTE network is, as I did not have the opportunity to try it out.
First world problems, am I right? 🤪.
My Overall Experience with China Mobile Hong Kong – Is It Any Good?
I would recommend China Mobile Hong Kong, and it would be one of my top recommendations for anyone wanting to buy a Hong Kong SIM card.
Getting a China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card was straightforward, and activation was quick.
Remember, you are better off visiting a 7-Eleven to get a China Mobile Hong Kong SIM card, especially a MySIM SIM card, because most China Mobile stores do not sell prepaid SIM cards.
Do note that most of China Mobile Hong Kong's SIM cards impose speed restrictions, including the China Mobile Hong Kong tourist SIM card (up to 42 Mbps), with the MySIM 5G SIM card being the exception (the SIM card I used in Hong Kong).
Even if your phone does not support 5G NR, you may want to get the MySIM 5G SIM card to take full advantage of China Mobile Hong Kong's 4G/LTE network.
With excellent 4G/LTE availability and reach, which also applies to 5G NR based on my experience, you will have reception practically everywhere in Hong Kong – even on the MTR (but I do suspect you will have reception issues on some of the outlying islands).
China Mobile Hong Kong's data-featured prepaid plans are reasonably priced, even for regional standards.
And that is also compared to its competitors.
The largest mobile operator is often the most expensive (read: excessively expensive), but that does not seem to be the case with China Mobile Hong Kong.
I had incredibly fast speeds with China Mobile Hong Kong, and I was always on 5G NR, which you can use with the MySIM 5G SIM card.
I suspect the 5G Local Data Packages are restricted to MySIM 5G users, but I could not confirm this.
Anyway, taking all the 56 speed tests into account, I had an average overall download speed of 172.11 Mbps and a median download speed of 158.95 Mbps with China Mobile Hong Kong – both being the fastest of all the Hong Kong SIM cards I tested.
When looking at upload speeds, I had an average upload speed of 34.48 Mbps and a median upload speed of 30.30 Mbps with China Mobile Hong Kong – again, both being the fastest in the country.
As none of the travel eSIMs or the 3 (UK) Travel SIM card by Holidaysimcard used the China Mobile Hong Kong 4G/LTE network (they were all on the CSL Mobile network and a few on 3 Hong Kong networks instead), I had no quick comparison between China Mobile Hong Kong's 4G/LTE and 5G NR networks.
But as I mentioned in the speed section of this review, Speedtest determined that China Mobile Hong Kong had the fastest 4G/LTE speeds in the country, having a median download speed of more than twice as fast as 3 Hong Kong (the slowest in the country).
When looking at 5G NR specifically again, SmarTone Hong Kong is the only other mobile operator allowing prepaid customers to use its 5G NR network.
While the download speed difference between China Mobile Hong Kong and SmarTone Hong Kong could differ with more than 300 Mbps at certain locations, the average and median download and upload speeds between the two were too similar to call one significantly faster than the other.
The main difference is that China Mobile Hong Kong charges 150 HKD for 10 GB of 5G NR data valid for 90 days, while SmarTone Hong Kong charges slightly less (118 HKD for 12 GB of 5G NR data valid for 90 days).
But SmarTone Hong Kong's starter pack that allows for 5G NR access will cost 118 HKD (the 48 HKD and 65 HKD SIM cards do not allow for 5G NR usage).
While China Mobile Hong Kong's 5G NR SIM card will only cost 48 HKD.
With excellent coverage, reasonably priced data-featured prepaid plans, and blazing-fast (5G NR) speeds if you get the MySIM 5G SIM card, there is nothing crazy to complain about China Mobile Hong Kong.
Hong Kong SIM Card Reviews
As mentioned earlier, I also tried out CSL Mobile, 3 Hong Kong & SmarTone Hong Kong when I was in Hong Kong.
You should read those reviews too.
>>> CSL Mobile Review | 3 Hong Kong Review | SmarTone Hong Kong Review <<<
Later, I will make a comparison post of the four Hong Kong SIM cards I tried… but that will take a while (I have many reviews of other countries that I still need to write, so they are prioritized).
But you can still make an educated purchase after reading the Hong Kong SIM card reviews.
I also tried out various travel eSIMs + a travel SIM card that work in Hong Kong: Airalo (Hkmobile, Asialink & Discover Global), Holafly, Nomad (Hong Kong & APAC), Simify & Ubigi + 3 (UK) travel SIM card by Holidaysimcard.
You should also read those reviews.
>>> Airalo Hkmobile Hong Kong eSIM Review | Airalo Asialink eSIM in Hong Kong Review | Airalo Discover Global in Hong Kong eSIM Review | Holafly Hong Kong eSIM Review | Nomad Hong Kong eSIM Review | Nomad APAC eSIM in Hong Kong Review | Simify Hong Kong eSIM Review | Ubigi Hong Kong eSIM Review | 3 (UK) Travel SIM Card by Holidaysimcard in Hong Kong Review (also used in Australia and Singapore) <<<
- Check out my eSIM reviews page if you want to read all the other eSIM reviews I have written, including other eSIM providers in Asia.
Hong Kong SIM Card Buying Guide
There are various other SIM cards to choose from in Hong Kong besides China Mobile Hong Kong.
I analyze and discuss them in-depth in my Hong Kong SIM card buying guide.