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. The reality of US 5G networks isn’t as thrilling as the ads portray. AT&T’s and Verizon’s nationwide networks are slow, Verizon’s good network is hard to find, and while T-Mobile’s mid-band network is growing, it’s still very much a work in progress. That will change over the next two years, though. The carriers recently spent more than $80 billion on new frequencies known as the C-band. Verizon plans to cover more than 100 million people with C-band by next March. AT&T says it will cover 75 million people by the end of 2022. And T-Mobile keeps chugging along with its mid-band buildout. The first official C-band phones are the iPhone 12, the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, the Google Pixel 5 and LG Wing, and the OnePlus 9 series. But the floodgates are open; Verizon said that it will require C-band on upcoming 5G phones from here on out. Where does that leave the US 5G buyer? Split by carrier. We don’t think AT&T subscribers should care much about 5G right now: AT&T’s 4G network is very good and its 5G network is basically an icon on the screen.
