• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechInternet of Things

Samsung Pay Follows Apple Pay To China

By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Hilary Brueck
Hilary Brueck
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 29, 2016, 8:40 AM ET
Samsung announces new high-end Smartphone
The payment system Samsung Pay is demonstrated on a smartphone produced by the South Korean manufacturer, in London, UK, 29 July 2015. Photo by: Teresa Dapp/picture-alliance/dpa/AP ImagesPhotograph by Teresa Dapp — picture-alliance/dpa/AP

Hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers who already pay for goods using their phones instead of pulling out their wallets now have one more option: Samsung Pay.

The South Korean electronics company launched its mobile wallet in China on Tuesday. The move rivals a similar one by Apple Pay, which launched in the world’s most populous country just last month.

Samsung and Apple are both entering an already crowded field of Chinese mobile payment apps. Alipay, operated by Alibaba spinoff Ant Financial already has 400 million users in the country, while Tencent covers about 19% of the mobile payment market in China with its Tenpay offering.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Samsung is partnering with state-owned China Union Pay to launch its service, the same payment processing system Apple Pay uses there. Samsung’s system works almost identically to Apple Pay: with the tap of a fingerprint on the phone.

But Samsung does have one big advantage over Apple when it comes to mobile payments: Samsung Pay can be used at almost all credit card terminals, because it doesn’t require special registers equipped with near field communication (NFC) technology.

Still, Samsung has fewer phones in China with just a 7% market share compared to Apple’s 15%, BBC News reports. Samsung Pay is available for four of the latest Samsung models in China: the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5.

Are mobile payment apps here to stay?

Another other big mobile wallet competitor, Google’s Android Pay, might have a tougher time entering the Chinese market than Samsung and Apple. Google’s search engine was blocked in the country six years, after the tech giant refused to comply with China’s tough censorship laws.

About the Author
By Hilary Brueck
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

CryptoCryptocurrency
Exclusive: Harvard grads raise $20 million for Ostium, a platform focused on a derivative popular with crypto traders
By Ben WeissDecember 3, 2025
3 minutes ago
MagazineMedia
CoComelon started as a YouTube show for toddlers. It’s now a $3 billion empire that even Disney can’t ignore
By Natalie JarveyDecember 3, 2025
33 minutes ago
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 04: Anthropic Co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei speaks at the "How AI Will Transform Business in the Next 18 Months" panel during INBOUND 2025 Powered by HubSpot at Moscone Center on September 04, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Chance Yeh/Getty Images for HubSpot)
InvestingAnthropic
Anthropic considers IPO despite warnings that excess liquidity is blowing a bubble in the markets
By Jim EdwardsDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Exclusive: Angle Health raises $134 million Series B to grow its AI-driven healthcare benefits offerings
By Allie GarfinkleDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago
Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2023 in Park City, Utah. (Photo: Stuart Isett/Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Anthropic plows toward an IPO
By Andrew NuscaDecember 3, 2025
2 hours ago
MagazineFood and drink
A Chinese ice cream chain, powered by super-cheap cones, now has more outlets than McDonald’s
By Theodora YuDecember 3, 2025
4 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
20 hours ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
MacKenzie Scott's $19 billion donations have turned philanthropy on its head—why her style of giving actually works
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.