5G is only partly deployed and already smartphones compatible with this technology are flooding the market. It must be said that the competition is raging between the global giants of mobile because of the huge financial benefits of 5G. Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus ... not easy to decide when all compete in ingenuity and offers. No problem, find your 5G smartphone with our comparison guide.
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Our selection
"Launching in September 2020, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G has the same spec sheet as the Galaxy S20 5G except for a few details.…"
"Following the success of the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro, Xiaomi follows up with the 5G-compatible Mi 10 Lite. Despite a slight downside in…"
"The iPhone 12 5G is anything but a pale update of the iPhone 11. Indeed, the new flagship of Apple that represents lands a new…"
"A beautiful finish, a well-calibrated AMOLED screen, a powerful SoC and a battery life worthy of a marathon runner, OnePlus upsets the market and the…"
Launching in September 2020, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G has the same spec sheet as the Galaxy S20 5G except for a few details. Its photo solution is different and it has a flat Full HD+ display almost similar to the Galaxy Note 20.
455 £ on Amazon
Following the success of the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro, Xiaomi follows up with the 5G-compatible Mi 10 Lite. Despite a slight downside in terms of photography, the performance is convincing, especially the well-calibrated screen and the compelling battery.
215 £ on AmazonThe Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite is undoubtedly the best 5G smartphone on the market for small budgets. But to offer a product at this price point, Xiaomi had to make some concessions on the spec sheet. Overall, this smartphone has a 6.57-inch AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 765 processor backed by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
For the photography part, it has 4 lenses, including the sensors usable in everyday life as the wide-angle lens of 48 MP, and its ultra wide-angle of 8 MP. On the other hand, the performance of the camera module is still below the other models in this comparison since Xiaomi has not grafted its 18MP sensor. Note, however, that this smartphone incorporates all the basic features such as the fingerprint sensor under the screen, jack output and USB-C port. Overall, the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G looks pretty good.
The iPhone 12 5G is anything but a pale update of the iPhone 11. Indeed, the new flagship of Apple that represents lands a new design and its lot of novelties.
710 £ on AmazonIt is unthinkable to talk about the iPhone 12 without mentioning its particularly successful design. In fact, it's one of the most beautiful and robust that we've seen in the last few years from the Apple brand. But don't be fooled, the iPhone 12 doesn't just have a beautiful chassis. Its technical features are a credit to Apple, starting with its A14 Bionic 5G SoC, but also its Super Retina XDR screen on a 60 Hz OLED panel and Dolby Vision compatible.
This 5G smartphone runs on iOS 14 and takes advantage of all the new features of this new operating system. You will have a very sober interface, but very pleasant to use with applications directly accessible from the library. The RAM is rather small, only 4GB, but it is still enough for whatever you plan to do with this smartphone. As for the photography option, it is entrusted to two 12MP sensors that will allow you to succeed in your shots in day or night mode.
A beautiful finish, a well-calibrated AMOLED screen, a powerful SoC and a battery life worthy of a marathon runner, OnePlus upsets the market and the competition with this smartphone with performances worthy of a high-end product.
289 £ on AmazonIt's a successful bet for OnePlus. Its 5G North launched in 2020 is seductive with its performance that guarantees a high-flying experience for users and puts them in awe. If we refer to its characteristics, this entry-level smartphone really has everything of a great one. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 processor, 12GB of RAM, a 6.44-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display and 4 sensors of 48+8+5+2MP.
If you want to make the most of the 5G network without breaking the bank, the OnePlus Nord is worth the investment. For other features, this 5G smartphone comes with a fingerprint sensor, facial recognition feature and a 3.5mm mini-jack connector. As for its design, this model does not offer anything new, but that does not matter! It is still very pleasant to use.
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| TOP OF THE TOP | CHEAP | TOP OF THE LINE | EXCELLENT | |
In accordance with our commitment, this buying guide does not contain any sponsored products. |
8/10 |
7/10 |
9/10 |
8/10 |
| OUR SELECTION |
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
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Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G
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Apple iPhone 12 5G
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OnePlus North 5G
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Launching in September 2020, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G has the same spec sheet as the Galaxy S20 5G except for a few details. Its photo solution is different and it has a flat Full HD+ display almost similar to the Galaxy Note 20.
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Following the success of the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro, Xiaomi follows up with the 5G-compatible Mi 10 Lite. Despite a slight downside in terms of photography, the performance is convincing, especially the well-calibrated screen and the compelling battery.
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The iPhone 12 5G is anything but a pale update of the iPhone 11. Indeed, the new flagship of Apple that represents lands a new design and its lot of novelties.
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A beautiful finish, a well-calibrated AMOLED screen, a powerful SoC and a battery life worthy of a marathon runner, OnePlus upsets the market and the competition with this smartphone with performances worthy of a high-end product.
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Memory storage
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128 GB
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128 GB
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128 GB
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256 GB
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Recordable memory
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8 GB
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6 GB
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4 GB
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12 GB
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Video resolution
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3840 x 2160p / 4k
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HD+ 1920 x 1080 p
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12 x 12 MP (4k)
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1080 p 4K / 30 IPS
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Battery power
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4,500 mAh
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5,000 mAh
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2,815 mAh
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4,115 mAh
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Dual SIM
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Yes
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Yes
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No
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Yes
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When you want to get a 5G smartphone, you have to check that it is really compatible with the new network. This specificity must be clearly mentioned by the manufacturer, but if not, read the presentation sheet carefully to see with which frequencies it is compatible. This applies doubly to entry-level smartphones offered by relatively unknown brands.
You need to determine which operating system you want to use. If you are used to using an Apple smartphone and have other equipment from this same brand, it would be best to opt for iOS. This way, you will enjoy the whole Apple ecosystem with complete peace of mind. On the other hand, if you like to use and change applications regularly, or customize your phone to your liking, then an Android-based 5G smartphone is the best choice available to you.
The size and quality of the screen are two criteria that you should not overlook when choosing your 5G smartphone. Today, phones are getting bigger and bigger. A larger OLED or AMOLED screen will allow you to be more immersed in your games and streaming content, which will also experience a revolution with 5G. All of the 5G smartphones announced this year have a 6-inch screen on average. If necessary, you can opt for the models offered with foldable screens.
The more functional a smartphone is, the more its battery is stressed. We don't hide from you that 5G will consume a lot of energy, which is why it is recommended to choose a smartphone with a minimum battery capacity of 3,500 mAh. With a battery of this capacity, you will enjoy your smartphone at least for a whole day in connection mode.
The quality of the processor will greatly impact the performance of the 5G smartphone. If you like to play games online, go for a phone that packs a powerful processor. An animated model with 6 or 8 cores would be ideal, because not only will it reduce latency, but you'll be able to run multiple applications at the same time without risking an operating system crash.
5G is the rough term for the fifth generation of mobile telephony. In the telecommunication sector, the deployment of a new generation of mobile telephony is a major event since it is supposed to change the daily life of users. This is what 5G is expected to do, according to French mobile operators.
But how is 5G so revolutionary? This is a legitimate question that is on many people's minds. To understand the real benefits of 5G, it is important to talk about its throughput, latency and density.
In mobile telephony, throughput is a concept related to the speed of internet connection. Theoretically, 5G throughput is 10 times faster than 4G. It should reach 1 Gbps in reception and 300 Mbps in transmission. For now, this is only a speculation. We have to wait until 2022 to see what it is exactly.
As for latency, it is defined as the reaction time between the time a command is executed and the time it appears on the screen. 5G promises that latency will drop from 10 to 1 ms. In other words, 5G applications will take only one millisecond to launch.
Thanks to ultra connectivity, 5G can support more than a million devices per square kilometer. Thus, the connection density will increase by a factor of 10, which bodes well when you consider that nearly 50 billion connected objects will be in use by 2025. However, to achieve these performance levels, 26Ghz of bandwidth must be allocated to 5G.
Created by Google, Android is a very intuitive operating system that equips the majority of smartphones and tablets of the moment. In developing Android, Google wanted to create a system that is easy to use, customizable to the user's liking and that offers no constraints to the user. It's a gamble that the search engine has succeeded in taking. 5G smartphones are not yet numerous on the market, but they are already a huge success, especially among technophiles. Among the brands using this terminology are the Korean giant Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Sony Xperia, whose 5G smartphones are equipped with at least an octo-core Snapdragon 765 processor.
iOS is an operating system that is unique to Apple. In other words, it only powers that brand's products, namely the iPhone, iPad and iPod. Yes, iOS is updated regularly, especially when Apple launches a new product, but it remains a closed operating system. A user cannot use any other applications than those found in the Apple Store. Moreover, the choice of customization of the smartphone under iOS remains limited even with the new generations of products. Despite this, Apple remains a reference. In fact, its first 5G smartphone, the iPhone 12, continues to break all records.
Today, design doesn't really matter anymore, as it is a tad similar from one smartphone to another. It's the performance and user experience that matter most. Android 5G smartphones are very appealing, as they are infinitely customizable. There are hundreds of thousands of free apps, so users are spoilt for choice. The latest versions of Android are more stable and responsive.
Critics say that Apple's OS is too closed compared to Google's. This is an obvious point from which Apple draws all its strength. Indeed, since the iPhone 12 runs on a closed operating system, it is invulnerable to attacks. It is virtually impossible for an iPhone 12 to be hacked. Moreover, if you have a lot of Apple devices, you can use them in perfect harmony thanks to native applications.
The war between operating systems is not about to end. Since its very first model, Apple has taken care to provide us with high-performance products. Inside and out, the iPhone is a high quality smartphone, and its twelfth version is no exception.
Nevertheless, the latest 5G Android smartphones compete have a lot to offer technologically speaking. The 5G smartphone you need must above all match your user profile. If you don't mind the way Apple handles its OS and applications, go for a 5G iPhone. Otherwise, go for a 5G Android smartphone.
To make the most of the 5G network
To access the 5G network and its multiple benefits, you must buy a smartphone that is compatible with this technology. It should be noted that 5G smartphones are not backwards compatible. They can be used to capture the 4G or 4G+ network. On the other hand, 4G smartphones can not capture the 5G network.
To avoid lat ency
One of the most interesting benefits of 5G is the reduction of latency. With a good 5G smartphone, you will be able to enjoy your multimedia content and applications without having to suffer from lag.
To download content at high speed
With a 5G smartphone, your downloads will take half the time. Even if the files you plan to download are several gigabytes in size, the waiting time is minimal. The user experience will be optimal with equipment that supports this technology.
Getting the mostout of cloud gaming
A quality 5G smartphone will allow you to play console games directly on your smartphone. However, to perfect the experience, you need a smartphone gaming pad. With this accessory, you will feel like you have a portable console in your hands.
Keeping up with thetimes
If you're a technophile, you'll be seduced by the 5G smartphone. Indeed, an accessory as high-tech as the 5G smartphone will allow you to be permanently connected.
In our opinion, the best brands of 5G smartphones in 2022 are :
It took Apple only 30 years to go from computers to the iPhone, which is one of the most widely used high-end smartphones in the world. In its 5G version, the iPhone promises an experience unlike any other.
OnePlus launched its first smartphone in 2014 which was an immediate success. Today, the manufacturer has become a major player in the industry and never ceases to impress with its range of cheap, yet powerful smartphones.
In 2010, Samsung launched a revolution with its very first Galaxy S. Today, the South Korean brand is still one of the heavyweights in this market.
Xiaomi has only been in the mobile phone business for 11 years, yet the manufacturer has already managed to capture a good portion of the global market. This is partly due to the elegance and high performance of its smartphones.
Since its inception, Oppo has focused on making quality smartphones at affordable prices. Nowadays, the brand has become a true reference in the industry and continues to seduce with its smartphones that are both stylish and innovative.
Subscribe to a 5G package
To enjoy your 5G smartphone, sign up for a 5G plan. Of course, this seems logical, but it is never futile to remind. With some operators, the cost of the 5G package is the same as 4G. Also, you will get exactly the same services.
Improve your competitiveness with 5G
With 5G, you will enter a new era. If you work from your smartphone as it is the case of brokers, 5G connectivity will boost your performance.
Download as often as you like
As we announced a little earlier, 5G will boost download times. So, once you have subscribed to a 5G plan, don't hesitate to download your content and keep it on a medium of your choice. That way, you'll have access to it as often as you want.
Experience your games with virtual reality
Virtual reality will experience a new twist with 5G. These two technologies will allow you to go anywhere in the world without moving from your home. Video games will be more immersive. In short, you'll experience a 3D revolution firsthand.
Keep using 4G
Even with a 5G smartphone, you can still use the 4G network. Initially, you don't have to change your plan.
During a comparison, the main selection criteria to consider is the performance of the 5G smartphone. See what kind of processor powers the phone. You also need to consider the quality of the screen and the battery life. A better quality screen will ensure that you have the best experience with games and multimedia content.
5G smartphones offer many advantages, including ultra-connectivity. With such a device, you will be able to download content twice as fast as with a 4G smartphone. Moreover, you won't have to suffer from latency when loading your applications. With a 5G smartphone, everything is faster.
It's hard to say exactly which operating system is better, as Android and iOS each have their own advantages and disadvantages. The choice of a 5G smartphone will depend on your preferences, but especially on the budget you have for the purchase. One thing is for sure, the choice of Android-based smartphones is currently more extensive.
5G is revolutionary in that it will change the way consumers interact with their phones, and not just a little. Consumers will enjoy faster speeds, reduced latency and a much more immersive gaming experience. Within a few years, nearly a quarter of the world's population is expected to enjoy 5G.
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