5G phones are for sale throughout the US, but do you need one? If you’re looking for a phone that can connect to the newest cellular networks, here’s what you need to know along with the top-rated 5G phones in our testing.
5G is now «nationwide.» AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon are all advertising 5G as faster, stronger, and better—and you need a 5G phone to get on board. Our Fastest Mobile Networks results show that T-Mobile’s mid-band 5G is making a big difference for more than 200 million Americans. The next two steps for 5G are C-band and 3.45GHz. Verizon launched its C-band network in January in 46 regions and says it now covers more than 100 million people with the technology. AT&T is off to a slower start, but aims to ramp up coverage toward the end of the year. In both cases, C-band is showing dramatically better performance than the carriers’ «nationwide» 5G networks. Currently, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series as well as «every iPhone 13 and iPhone 12, iPad 5G series, the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Flip3 and Galaxy Fold 3» support C-band, according to Verizon. There’s C-band hardware in other phones such as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, the Samsung Galaxy A42 and A52, and the TCL 30 V, but it’s not clear if or when Verizon will support them. On AT&T, the Samsung Galaxy S22 series are the first phones to support its upcoming 3.
