If you intend to keep your next phone for another three years, getting a 5G device is smart. You just need to get the right one for your carrier and your needs. There's no downside to getting a phone that happens to have 5G if it's the phone you want for other reasons.
There's no question that 5G is the next giant leap forward for mobile network technology. With its lower latency, greater network capacity and faster download speeds, 5G represents a massive improvement over the 4G network standard.
While spending more money on a 5G phone or a 5G variant of the same device may seem like a good, future-proof idea, it will not be worth it if you don't have the coverage and budget for 5G plans. Note that while 5G data plans may be priced equal to 4G in the beginning, they can quickly climb up for the faster service.
No, not at all. 4G will be around for years to come as we have seen with 3G. Mobile service operators still — albeit in very few areas — offer 3G services. So 5G will not mean the end of 4G.
4G devices will continue to work. Mobile providers are expected to maintain their 4G networks as they invest in 5G deployment. If your mobile device is more than a few years old, it may be a 3G device. Check with your mobile provider to see if it plans to phase out its 3G services.
Other than that, if you're buying a 4G smartphone, definitely go ahead and get one. 4G phones are available across all budgets, the infrastructure is already there and, on the whole, 4G services are here to stay. Fun fact - 5G projections are projected to reach 500 million userbases by 2027.
4G is expected to last for at least another decade, and possibly longer with the help of Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), which shares available spectrum between 4G LTE and 5G devices.
A lot of older cellphones, including the IPhone 5, IPhone 5S and Samsung Galaxy S4, as well as many of the flip phones, will become obsolete in 2022 as mobile providers make the switch to 5G networks.
T-Mobile and Sprint 3G/2G/4G LTE network shutdown dates
These are January 1, 2022 for Sprint's 3G network sunset, and June 30, 2022 for the 4G LTE connections, respectively.
Getting a 4G device is not a bad option for many, even in 2023. This is because a 4G device would be priced more affordable than a 5G smartphone. 5G smartphones will definitely see higher demand as the telcos roll out 5G to more cities in India. However, that doesn't mean you should jump for a 5G phone as well.
Google Pixel/stock Android phones
Open Settings> Network & Internet> SIMs> Preferred network type>Choose 5G.
Basically, to put it simply, do not buy a phone just for 5G, if the phone you are considering has 5G, then it is fine but, do not upgrade or purchase a highly-priced phone just for 5G, since, the spectrum is not yet auctioned and the network providers are not ready with the technology and, there is nothing good about ...
To turn off 5G, go to Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Network Mode and select any of the options that do not say "5G" in the title.
Some 5G Plans Are Unnecessarily Expensive
And since 5G is still in its infancy, 5G plans are often far more expensive. So, you're probably better off sticking to 4G for the foreseeable future. Even if you buy a 5G plan, you're not necessarily getting significantly faster speeds.
If you own an older cellphone with 3G or a Kindle, be aware that in 2022 some of your electronics will stop working because of a 5G upgrade. And, access to 911 on 3G phones won't be available by the end of 2022.
Faster Speeds
5G upload speeds will typically be 1 to 40Mbps. On 4G, typical download speeds are 5 to 180Mbps, and upload speeds are 1 to 40Mbps, in 4G coverage areas. On 3G, typical download speeds are 1.1 to 20Mbps, and typical upload speeds are 300kbps to 3Mbps.
You must have a 5G-capable phone to access a 5G network. Older 4G devices without 5G radios will not connect to 5G networks.
4G phones are widely available to everyone and at every shop. This gets hard for people to switch to 5G network as 4G phones don't support 5G as it has a different SIM card configuration. To fix this, you have to get it replaced with a 5G phone and there are many of them that are available on the internet.
With 5G, you can expect higher download speeds when using mobile data, lower latency (the time it takes for a device to respond to information or an action), increased reliability and more network capacity. Basically, 5G is faster and more stable than 4G, and it's capable of connecting a lot more devices.
They can be easily blocked or diffused by physical object (buildings or atmospheric and environmental events) and will have a smaller footprint compared to other waves (2, 3 and 4G)[3]. Also, there might be problems with moving receivers/transmitters[4]. The greater disruption will occur at the higher frequencies.