As the world is getting ready for 5G, a lot of manufactures are pumping out smartphones that support 5G. Before we get started, let me first give you some useful information about 5G so we can pick the best cheap 5G smartphones.
There are 3 major mobile carriers in the United States(used to be four, so call The Big-4, after Sprint finally merged with T-Mobile earlier this year.) Verizon, AT&T, and the New T-Mobile. Each carrier offers some different forms of 5G.
carriers and 5G
First, let’s talk about Verizon. Verizon’s 5G flavor is the most intriguing one: The high-band millimeter–wave (mmWave). Its speed can go well beyond 1Gbps–IF you are in the close proximity of their 5G nodes. By close proximity, I mean real close because if there is something interfering with the signal, the speed drops dramatically. You can turn your body in a different direction, your phone’s 5G indicator would easily turn to 4G.
Next, let’s talk about AT&T. AT&T uses low-band 850 mhz spectrum, which provides great coverage and about 20% faster speed than 4G Lte.
Lastly, it’s T-Mobile. The New T-Mobile combines Sprint’s mid-band 5G which provides 6X faster than 4G LTE and T-Mobile’s low-band 600 MHz(Sub-6) spectrum which has broader coverage.
So, after the comparison, should you make a decision to jump into Verizon for the fastest speed or T-Mobile for coverage? The simple answer is, NO, and the reason is simple–each carrier does plan on deploying all flavors of 5G.
So after we have a little bit of knowledge about 5G, we can start looking for smartphones that comes with 5G capability.
cheaper 5G
Samsung is one of the earliest manufacturers to introduce 5G smartphones into the market. The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G was released in April of 2019. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256 GB internal storage which can be expanded by micro SD card. It has a 6.7in hole-punch display that houses the front-facing cameras. Underneath the display, it’s got a fingerprint reader for biometric security. As for the rear camera, it has a quad-camera setup which still performs very.
The flagships
Next up, let’s talk about the newer S series, the Galaxy S20 5G. The S20 has a 6.2in display. The S20+ has a 6.7in display and the S20 Ultra has a massive 6.9in display. All 3 models have a 120 Hz refresh rate which makes the screen experience really smooth. However, if you are buying this phone for 5G, be careful which you choose because NOT all models offer the same flavor. Only the Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra come with both Sub-6 and mmWave 5G. The regular S20 only has Sub-6 connectivity. Considering the hefty price tag of these phones, the best cheap 5G smartphones would be the Samsung Galaxy S20 and the best smartphone with both Sub-6 and mmWave 5G would be the Galaxy S20+. Also, check out our review of the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro.
