What to Expect From 5G Phones—and When
The early ones will be expensive, and they may not change the mobile experience. So, should you wait to buy one?
In the coming months, you will be able to buy your first smartphone compatible with faster 5G networks. It will likely come loaded with features like a large screen and souped-up camera.
But you’re probably going to have to spend north of $1,000 for it—and there is no guarantee it is going to instantly change your mobile experience.
There are a couple of reasons why you likely won’t get those blazing-fast speeds that 5G promises soon. For one thing, coverage is going to be limited.
The four largest U.S. wireless carriers— AT&T Inc., T +0.23% Verizon Communications VZ +0.97% Inc., T-Mobile US Inc. TMUS +0.53% andSprint Corp. S +0.63% —have all announced plans to roll out 5G this year. But their plans include very few parts of the country—only some large cities like
- Los Angeles,
- Chicago and
- Atlanta.
A full nationwide buildout will take years.
“Even if you have a 5G phone this year, your chance of actually accessing a 5G network is probably fairly low,” says Mark Hung, an analyst at research firm Gartner Inc.
To understand why, consider that there are two ways to provide 5G coverage—and the phone you choose may not be designed to handle both.
One method delivers 5G signals on the high-frequency end of the spectrum. The upside is extremely high speeds—fast enough, it is often said, to download whole seasons of a TV show in minutes. The downside is that these signals don’t go through walls or other obstructions very well. The other method of delivering coverage—using the lower end of the spectrum—means that signals travel better, but speeds aren’t as fast.