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.
