5G is more than over-the-top marketing hype and some really weird (and in some cases dangerousconspiracy theories. Here’s what you really need to know: 5G offers faster download and upload speeds, more bandwidth, lower latency, and enough throughput to run a household of people trying to connect to the internet (though 5G broadband for the home is … limited, to say the least).
And 5G connectivity is not as scarce as it was in the early days. Carriers are rolling out more towers and installing more nodes on existing towers in the U.S. If your carrier has already flipped the switch to 5G where you live, or you are considering upgrading your phone this year, buy a 5G phone a good idea.
Apple, Google, Samsung, OnePlus and even some budget smartphone players are all fully committed to the new wireless specification, although it is not the same for the major carriers. There’s a bit of nuance in 5G and the different frequencies, which can make choosing a compatible device a bit of a pain!
Figuring out 5G is complicated because of the way it has been rolled out in the US. When buying a phone, you should know that there are three frequencies that make up 5G: low band, mid band, and high band. The low band frequencies are often considered “generic” 5G because of their long range, but their 600 to 700 MHz spectrum is quite slow. Midband frequencies are faster at 1.7 GHz to 2.5 GHz, and they are just like the exactly right level of 5G you could hope for at this stage. High band frequencies are called millimeter wave 5G at a spectrum of 24 GHz and higher, but the higher frequency means a shorter range. Signal cannot travel far and cannot penetrate walls or windows, for example. That means you can hit lightning-fast speeds if you’re directly under a 5G node, but not in your house. The providers have deployed 5G in different bands, but the ideal 5G network consists of all three. That is a work in progress.
T-Mobile has been known for its massive offering of low band frequencies since it gobbled up Sprint, and that’s how it gets away with ads that it has the most coverage. Verizon and AT&T mainly rely on the high-band mmWave 5G. Not only should you pay attention to what kind of 5G service your carrier offers in your area, but some 5G phones only support specific types of 5G. That’s going to be less of an issue now, but if you’re buying a 5G phone make sure it supports both mmWave and sub-6Ghz 5G.
5G phones are not so expensive anymore as they once wereIt’s possible to spend as little as $ 300 on a 5G-compatible phone, although devices at that price are limited in band support and often reserved for low-cost networks. Here are our recommendations for 5G phones to buy this year.