5G is now “nationwide.” AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and their ilk are all advertising 5G as faster, stronger, and better—and you need a 5G phone to get on board. The reality of US 5G networks isn’t as thrilling as the ads portray. As our 26-city Fastest Mobile Networks study showed, 5G networks in the US aren’t a big deal right now. AT&T’s is slow, Verizon’s is hard to find, and T-Mobile’s is busy merging with Sprint.
That may change over the next two years, though. The biggest improvement for owners of existing 5G phones will come from T-Mobile; as it straightens out its Sprint merger, owners of existing 5G phones will see big speed boosts. Verizon will continue to extend its 5G coverage bit by bit, using new repeater and indoor cell panel technologies.
But as we get to the end of 2020, the biggest 5G potential comes from new frequencies being auctioned at the end of this year, known as “C-Band.” These new frequencies can really improve AT&T and Verizon’s 5G coverage starting in late 2021, but phones may not be available to support them until March of 2021 or so.
Where does that leave the US 5G buyer? Split by carrier. We don’t think AT&T subscribers should care much about 5G right now—AT&T’s 4G network is very good and its 5G network is basically an icon on the screen. T-Mobile subscribers should definitely invest in a 5G phone now. Verizon subscribers should see if they’re in one of the carrier’s 35 or so 5G cities.
In this roundup, we’ve picked out our favorite 5G phones from the year so far. In general, though, you should expect to get 5G with any new flagship or near-flagship phone being bought in late 2020.
One note: As we’re writing this, we haven’t quite reviewed a bunch of prominent phones coming out soon. We’re still waiting for the the Google Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, the LG Wing, the OnePlus 8T, and new iPhones.
Why You May Want To Wait Until 2021
5G in 2020 is disappointing, but I hold out hope for the C-Band. The C-Band is a new swathe of airwaves, between current 4G and Wi-Fi frequencies, that the FCC is auctioning at the end of 2020. If Verizon and AT&T snap up a lot of the C-Band (and they will), they’ll have the ability to build out 5G with decent performance in 2021 and 2022.
But no current phones are authorized to use the C-Band. I anticipate that the first ones to have C-Band support will come out in March 2021. So if you use Verizon or AT&T and aren’t in a hurry to have 5G now, I wouldn’t stress out about it until then. And yes, that means iPhone fans will probably have to wait until the iPhone 13 in 2021.
Four Kinds of 5G to Understand
To choose your 5G phone, you need to understand about the four kinds of 5G that are out there or coming soon: low-, middle-, and high-band, and DSS. Low, middle, and high go, respectively, from having a lot of coverage but not much speed, to almost no coverage but crazy-fast speed.
There’s a fourth term, DSS, that refers to a way of sharing airwaves between 4G and 5G. That will let carriers slowly reduce capacity on their 4G networks as 5G flourishes—which will be a boon for people with 5G phones, and potential trouble for people without them.
Here’s what each of the carriers are offering:
Very slow low-band. Extremely limited, hard to find high-band. DSS spreading, but with seemingly little effect.
Lots of low-band. Lots of mid-band. A little high-band. No DSS.
All high-band for now. DSS coming toward the end of this year.
It’s confusing and a bit of a mess. Most of the phones sold on AT&T and T-Mobile don’t include high-band, which is the fastest form of 5G, but the two carriers have also sent confusing, mixed signals all year about their commitment to the technology. If you absolutely want to be on the cutting-edge of 5G, get a Samsung Galaxy S20+, Note 20 Ultra, or Z Fold 2; they have everything.
Should I Wait for the 5G iPhone?
If you’re an iPhone user, sure.
We’re writing this just before the expected announcement of 5G iPhones in October. At least some of the US iPhones will almost certainly support low-, middle-, and high-band 5G, because Verizon will demand it. (International models will almost as certainly not support high-band 5G.)
If you’re an iPhone fan, there’s no reason to jump over to one of the existing 5G phones with the state of the current 5G networks over the next six months. They just don’t make enough of a difference weighed against your investment in the iPhone ecosystem.
By 2021, especially on T-Mobile, you’ll see citywide 5G making a significant difference in the way you experience mobile internet. The new 5G iPhones will be able to access that network; we’ll know more when they come out, so stay tuned.
