The latest trend in smartphones is 5G connectivity. Manufacturers are rapidly rolling out devices that take advantage of the new network. However, should everyone join the trend immediately?
5G connectivity has very promising features such as up to 10Gbps connection and 1ms latency. However, getting a new 5G device should not be rushed as LTE might still be the best option.
For those who are still undecided about whether to get the new 5G service, here are six reasons why it should be put on hold.
1. Lack of 5G connectivity service
As much as cellular companies want to roll out the service as soon as possible, there will be areas that are not covered.
Those who are living in urban areas might have the service soon. People who are staying in rural areas should stay with LTE for a while. It might take sometime before the service reaches far-flung areas.
For example, T-Mobile has a Sub-6 service to more than 200 million users through its 6000Mhz network. However, there is very minimal speed gain. The 5G speeds are comparable to 4G LTE. Why bother paying for more?
2. Sub-par mmWave coverage on areas with lots of buildings
The mmWave 5G is responsible for the ultrafast connectivity speeds that can reach up to 1Gbps. It is the most common band that providers use to promote their service.
However, there are problems encountered when the cell tower is out of sight. The connection speed drops on cities that have tall buildings that block the cell tower.
A person must be pretty close to a network tower to be able to maximize its speed.
Unless Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or other providers in each country sort this out, 5G is not yet worth it.
3. Half-baked implementation of Sub-6 and mmWave
The main 5G service being used today is the mmWave. But, the most widespread 5G connection available is Sub-6.
This is confusing as manufacturers tend to slap the “5G feature” on their mobile devices. Yet, they do not disclose what kind of 5G is being used.
For example, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G can connect through a 600MHz network. This means that it does not take advantage of Sub-6 speeds.
The current lineup of 2020 devices should be able to support Sub-6 and mmWave though.
4. 4G LTE is still cheaper
Service providers are offering 5G connectivity through their expensive plans. There is no plan that is at par with 4G LTE yet.
If connection speeds are to be considered, 4G LTE is still capable of putting out fast speeds. This is more than enough for 4K streaming at Netflix or for rapid filesharing through cloud storage.
The plans offered also push features that are not needed by many. Providers bundle 5G connectivity with music streaming apps or cloud storage. This makes some apps redundant if the user already has a preferred app to use.
5. More phones to choose from
5G enabled smartphones are very limited today. It is exclusively found on flagship smartphones. This makes the new service inaccessible to many.
This also limits the choices of devices to choose from. Mid-range devices do not have 5G connectivity yet.
However, it is not wrong to purchase these flagship devices. These 5G-enabled smartphones are future-proof and may last at least three years of usage.
Just disable 5G connectivity for now and use 4G LTE in partnership with cheaper plans to save some money.
6. 4G LTE is still king
Despite 5G rolling out in a lot of places, there will be instances wherein 4G is still the king. There are times wherein 5G signal is spotty and the device uses 4G instead.
LTE is fast for the majority of users. 5G is nice, but as mentioned earlier, it is not worth it if it is not maximized.
Just like other industries, the expansion of 5G connectivity is also slowed down during this pandemic. Being patient and waiting for it to reach its full potential is the right choice.
Images used courtesy of OnePlus 8 Pro, Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, Oppo Reno 5G