All the 5G phones you can buy and what’s coming soon
We’ve heard a lot about what 5G networks can deliver in terms of faster speed and lower latency. And now, with every major U.S. carrier having launched 5G in some form, the last year introduced us to a handful of 5G phones that can take advantage of these new networks.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 mobile processor powered the first 5G phones, thanks to its support for Qualcomm’s first 5G modem, the X50. A newer modem, the X55, can connect to 5G, 4G and other networks, and it’s now showing up in multiple phones. Expect that to continue with Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 865 processor, which will power this year’s flagship devices.
In fact, 2019 may have been billed as the year of 5G, the truth is we only saw a handful of phones that have demonstrated how 5G is faster than 4G. That figures to change this year, not only because of the Snapdragon 865, but also the Snapdragon 765, which sports an integrated 5G modem and is expected to power lower-cost handsets than the $1,000-plus models that appeared in 2019.
Here’s all the 5G phones announced so far and what we’re looking for in the year ahead.
5G phone cheat sheet: What’s available now
Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G: Works on T-Mobile and Verizon
Galaxy S10 5G: Works on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon
OnePlus 7 Pro 5G: Works on Sprint
OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren: Works on T-Mobile
LG V50 ThinQ: Works on Sprint and Verizon
Moto Z4, Z3 and Z2 (with Moto 5G Mod): Works on Verizon
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G (Available now)
What we know: Samsung’s second 5G handset, the 6.8-inch Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G, is available through both Verizon and T-Mobile. The 256GB version of the phone costs $1,299 at both carriers, a $300 markup on the Galaxy Note 10 Plus. Verizon also sells a 512GB version of the 5G phone for $1,399.
Alternatively, you can purchase the device in monthly payments. The 256GB model can be yours for 24 installments of $54.16 at Verizon while the monthly bill on the 512GB model jumps to $58.33. T-Mobile lets you pay off the phone in 36 installments, bringing the monthly cost down to $36.12; it’s also running a BOGO promotion in case you need two 5G phones.
Though the phones are the same on T-Mobile and Verizon, they work with different kinds of 5G networks. Verizon’s version is compatible with millimeter-wave 5G, which allows for fast speeds, even if coverage isn’t limited. T-Mobile’s version of the Note 10 Plus 5G works on its low-band spectrum-based network. Speeds aren’t nearly as fast, but T-Mobile’s 5G reaches a wider service area.
AT&T says it will support the Note 10 Plus 5G when its 5G network becomes more widely available in five cities this month. (Don’t confuse that with AT&T’s 5G Plus service, which is already available in 21 cities.)
We tested the Galaxy Note 10 5G on Verizon’s network in Providence, Rhode Island in August, and found the handset’s performance to be quite similar to that of the S10 5G. Speeds got as high as 1.06 Gbps — five times the best possible LTE speed we recorded with a standard Note 10.
What else we’ve heard: At the moment, there’s currently no phone on the market that is equipped with all the gear necessary to support every incarnation of 5G, from the low-band to millimeter-wave. That’s going to change with the Snapdragon 865 processor, which makes running that chipset better geared toward handling 5G’s evolution.
And for what it’s worth, initial 5G phones sales seem to have met Samsung’s expectations. The company says it shipped more than 6.7 million 5G Galaxy phones around the world, with more than 4.5 million of those shipments coming during the holiday quarter. (That figure includes not just the Note 10 Plus 5G, but also the Galaxy S10 5G — mentioned below — and a 5G variant of the Galaxy Fold that’s only available overseas.)
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G (Available Now)
What we know: Before there was the 5G variant of the Note 10, there was the Galaxy S10 5G, arriving this spring with the rest of Samsung’s Galaxy S10 phones. The Galaxy S10 5G debuted on Verizon’s network in mid-May, and arrived at AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile in June. In the case of AT&T, though, only corporate users on the carrier’s Business Unlimited Preferred plan can buy the 5G-ready S10.
At Verizon, you’ll pay $1,300 for a 256GB version and $1,400 for the 512GB model. Sprint charges the same amount for the 256GB version, but you can also get the Galaxy S10 5G on an 18-month Sprint Flex lease at just $30 per month. AT&T is charging $1,000 for the S10 5G, but again, that phone is only available to corporate customers.
