5G phones revealed – the superfast smartphones you can buy in the UK in July 2019
It's time to upgrade...if you can afford it
BRITAIN'S first 5G networks are being switched on – but you'll need a 5G blower to enjoy the superfast speeds.
We've rounded up the best 5G phones you can buy in the UK today (spoiler: there aren't many).
What is 5G? A quick guide
The term 5G stands for 5th-generation, and is simply the next "version" of mobile phone networks.
The world's network operators have settled on a new method of delivering mobile internet to your phone, making it possible to offer far higher download speeds.
Early figures suggest you'll be able to download 4K movies in a matter of seconds, and buffering video will be a thing of the past.
But 5G also promises low "latency" – the physical delay in transmitting data – which is a major boon for gamers, who desperately need their online actions to be sent and received as quickly as possible.
What do you need for 5G?
The first thing you need is a 5G network, and those are in short supply.
EE is first across the line with plans to launch a 5G network on May 30 – but only in six cities.
If you're outside of London, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Birmingham or Manchester then you're out of luck.
The good news is that EE plans to roll out 5G in a further 10 cities by the end of 2019: Glasgow, Newcastle, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester, Coventry and Bristol.
Vodafone has also switched on 5G in seven cities: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Liverpool, and London.
And O2, Sky Mobile and Three have all announced their own roll-out plans – but haven't set 5G live just yet.
The bad news is that signing up to a 5G network isn't enough.
You'll need a 5G-ready phone, which aren't particularly common yet. The phone you own right now almost certainly isn't 5G-ready.
Inside smartphones are tiny chips called modems, which allow the handset to connect to mobile internet.
These modems need to be redesigned to support 5G networks, and right now there are only a few modems that do the job.
Your best bet currently is to bag a phone with either the Snapdragon X50 or Snapdragon X55 (both 5G-ready Qualcomm modems) inside.
More 5G modems will be created over time, which we'll update this page with soon.
5G phones 2019 revealed – all the models you need to know
Here's a quick list of the 5G phones that have been confirmed, along with their expected launch dates:
- Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G – available
- OnePlus 7 Pro 5G – available
- Samsung Galaxy S10 5G Edition – available
- Samsung Galaxy Fold – was May 3, now coming September
- LG V50 ThinQ – available
- Huawei Mate X – 'coming weeks' (as of July 2019)
- Oppo Reno 5G – available
- ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G – TBC
These 5G smartphones will be expensive initially, but the price will drop over time – just like with the launch of 4G.
Apple has been very quiet on 5G, but rumours suggest the first 5G iPhone will arrive in 2020/2021.
5G internet – what is it?
Here’s what you need to know...
- 5G is the next generation of mobile phone networks
- Just like 4G made your mobile internet faster and more reliable compared to 3G, 5G will do the same again
- Phone networks across the UK are currently scrambling to introduce 5G phone speeds for Brits
- Typical 4G speeds today will typically fall between 50Mbps and 100Mbps
- But early 5G speeds will raise this bar to several hundred megabits-per-second
- And once 5G networks are advanced, you’ll expect to enjoy gigabit-per-second speeds
- However, you’ll need to upgrade your phone plan to a 5G tariff
- Also, not all smartphones support 5G internet – they’ll need to have a 5G-ready modem inside
- We’re only now starting to see 5G smartphones in 2019, so older phones won’t support the new speeds
- Many top phone makers have committed to making (or already launched) 5G-ready smartphones
- These include Samsung, Huawei, OnePlus, LG and Oppo
How much will a 5G phone contract cost?
Price depends on the network you choose to go with.
For a SIM-only plan on EE, you're looking at 20GB of data for £32 a month.
That would normally cost you £22 a month on 4G, so there's a price hike of around £10.
If you want 100GB of data, you'll pay a far higher £52 a month.
To get a 5G contract with a phone wrapped into the price, you're looking at a minimum of £54 a month for 10GB of data.
This rises right up to £74 a month for 120GB of data.
Anyone looking to buy the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G will have to pay £79 a month minimum, for 30GB of data each month.
Three, meanwhile, has committed to offering full 5G upgrades to all customers (new and existing) at no additional cost.
This means you'll pay the same for a 5G contract (or SIM card) as you would for your 4G tariff.
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EE announced its switch-on for 5G at a special launch event in London.
It also revealed prices and plans for the first 5G smartphones.
However, Huawei was pulled from the launch roster because "lifetime support" can't be guaranteed.
Are you planning to buy a 5G smartphone this year? Let us know in the comments!
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