5G Phones Are Coming Soon, but It’s Worth the Wait to Buy Them

As nearly every major cellular service provider in the US prepares to roll out a 5G network, you’ve likely seen 2019 being touted as the start of a “5G revolution” or something similar.

While 5G will be an important step forward for both cellular networks and smartphones, the technology is still in its infancy. We know pretty well what the state of 5G is in early 2019, and in our view, some healthy skepticism is warranted (at least for now). This quick guide should help you understand what 5G is all about; how this will affect smartphones; and whether you should buy a 5G phone this year.

What is 5G?

5G is short for fifth generation cellular technology. This fifth generation introduces mmWave technology (short for millimeter wavelength), which exploits a wide range of radio frequencies in the electromagnetic spectrum that is currently unused, in particular the 24 to 90 GHz range (current 4G LTE networks cover 450 MHz band. to 5.9 GHz band).

What does it mean? Basically, much faster mobile networks and lower latency. While tech companies (and conspiracy theorists) are making some high-profile and bold claims based on the potential faster networks can bring, until we actually see the implementation of 5G being used, much of it is just speculation. Plus, most of these companies ignore or deliberately hide 5G’s current flaws.

Disadvantages of 5G

There is a reason the 24 GHz to 90 GHz frequency range is mostly free; Millimeter-wave frequencies suffer from reception problems and can be blocked by your hand, walls, tall trees, and even bad weather. In fact, certain wavelengths can even be absorbed by oxygen in the atmosphere.

Even if these signal barriers did not exist, the problem of network coverage still remains. To access the new 5G spectrum, phones, cell towers and modems will need to be equipped with new technologies. There are also two other “types” of 5G – bass and midrange, which are easier to implement, but offer slightly lower speeds than mmWave. This means that the availability and quality of 5G depends on whether your network has upgraded the towers in your market, not to mention that you will also need a 5G-compatible device.

Buying a 5G phone in 2019

We are confident that 5G networks and smartphones will one day succeed, but our honest recommendation is to avoid buying a new smartphone just because it is 5G compatible. (If the manufacturer offers a 4G LTE-only alternative, go for it.)

4G devices will continue to roll out in 2019, and it’s entirely possible even if manufacturers offer separate 5G and 4G LTE versions of the same device. 4G LTE versions will be cheaper – potentially hundreds of dollars – but will likely have better battery life at the very least. Because of this, we see 4G LTE smartphones remain viable and competitive in early 2020 (at least).

However, service providers and smartphone manufacturers will try their best to convince you that buying a new 5G device is worth the price of an upgrade – we already know that at least Samsung and HTC will release 5G-enabled smartphones in 2019. Taking their word for it, here are our recommendations if you absolutely need the latest technology and decide to buy a 5G device in 2019.

Check 5G coverage and speed in your area first

Make sure you live in a market where your carrier actually supports 5G. Not all telecom operators will operate in the same markets, and not all 5G services will be the same.

AT&T : AT&T originally launched its 5G network in 2018 in 12 cities.

• Jacksonville, Florida
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Indianapolis, Indiana
• Louisville, Kentucky
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Raleigh North Carolina
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Dallas, tex
• Houston, TX
• San Antonio, TX
• Waco, TX

The company plans to reach at least 19 cities in 2019. AT&T’s 5G network will eventually use mmWave, although it will initially launch at Citizens Band Radio Spectrum, combining it with LTE, while it rolls out true 5G in the coming years.

Sprint : Sprint plans to launch 5G in at least nine major markets in 2019, including.

• Atlanta
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Houston
• Kansas City
• Los Angeles
• New York
• Phoenix
• Washington

It’s worth noting that Sprint uses “mid-band” coverage of 2.5 GHz instead of mmWave, which means faster network expansion, but lower speeds and higher latency compared to AT&T and Verizon’s 5G networks.

T-Mobile: T-Mobile launches 5G network in New York, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. However, T-Mobile is using “low-band” 5G, which also includes 600 MHz frequencies in addition to mmWave. This will allow T-Mobile to expand its coverage faster – the company is currently building its network in 30 other cities and promises nationwide coverage by 2020, although “low-band” 5G will be the slowest 5G option available.

Verizon: While Verizon will provide 5G mmWave coverage, it will also roll out mid-range and low-range services, and will combine its entire 5G wireless network with a 5G home network for internet and cable. You’ll find this for the first time in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Houston, and Indianapolis.

Obviously, if your market doesn’t have 5G coverage, you won’t need a 5G phone right away.

Pay attention to battery life and performance

5G phones are likely to have smaller battery sizes and possibly lower performance. The same problem happened with the launch of the 4G LTE network. Since then, the technology that supports LTE in your smartphone now runs on separate chips that house all the necessary components – antennas, GPUs, processors, and so on. These compact chipsets give manufacturers more room for things like RAM, storage, and most importantly, larger batteries.

Since 5G components use a completely different signal frequency and must be designed with the potential disadvantages of 5G in mind, their individual components will be larger and likely split up inside the phone rather than being packaged into a single chip. Unfortunately, this means less battery space.

Signal stability and antenna performance

Returning to the previous tip, pay attention to any specifics related to “controllability” or “antenna performance”. Since 5G waves can be blocked by everything from your hand to the very oxygen in the air, some phones can be finicky when it comes to proper antenna orientation. If you’re going to buy a phone, make sure it has multiple 5G antennas – something Qualcomm is trying to reduce to reduce the chances of receiving blockages.

Don’t pay the 5G premium if you can avoid it

At first, providers will likely charge you $ 200-300 more for 5G devices versus 4G LTE devices, and your monthly phone bill will likely go up. While we may empathize with the desire for the latest technology and gadgets, this prize isn’t worth it. Wait for the price drop, or better yet, wait for better phones that can better justify such a price increase.

Wait for feedback …

As with the pricing, resist the urge to pre-order your new phone and wait for early user reviews and feedback instead. Pretty much all of the above points will be affected by reviewers when these new phones (and 5G coverage in general) become available to consumers. If something happens outside the park, you will find out. If not, stick with 4G LTE.

… or even longer

5G will be worth upgrading at some point, but it will take time and at least one or two iterations of the technology before it’s ready. By then, it is possible that 5G coverage will become more affordable and that 5G compatible devices will saturate the market.