Though 5G deployment kicked off in 2019, you’ll see even more 5G phones and other additions to the 5G device repertoire hit the market throughout this year and next. In the US, it’s currently live in select cities for Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and other regional carriers. The 5G networks for all four major carriers in the UK are live too.
Though it won’t replace 4G in its entirety, 5G is the next generation of mobile connectivity. 5G works super-fast and many industries will benefit from the new network, including the Internet of Things, drones and self-driving cars. Samsung, the most popular maker of 5G phones, has several under its belt including the Galaxy Note 20 phones, the Galaxy Z Flip 5G and the more budget-friendly Galaxy A71 5G.
Most people will likely experience the benefits of a robust 5G network only through a 5G smartphone. After all, the grand promises carriers and chipmakers are making with 5G coverage don’t mean much if you can’t access 5G service with your own device after the 5G rollout. To help you keep tabs on all the latest phones with 5G capability and when we can expect more, here’s what the major phone-makers are offering.
Read: Cheaper 5G phones are on the horizon, but they probably won’t be very good
Google Pixel 4A 5G and Pixel 5
Not much is yet known about Google’s upcoming Pixel 4A 5G and Pixel 5 phones. Announced the same day the company launched its affordable midrange Pixel 4A, the Pixel 4A 5G and Pixel 5 will have 5G and are coming in the fall. They will be Google’s first 5G devices. Read our Pixel 5 First Take.
Andrew Hoyle/CNET
Though it isn’t coming to the US, the OnePlus Nord is an affordable 5G offering from Chinese phone-maker OnePlus. Available later this month in the UK and Europe, the phone costs under 500 euros (about $570, £450 or AU$820 converted) and features a 6.44-inch display, four rear cameras and a 90Hz refresh rate. Read our OnePlus Nord review.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Despite its high price tag and being a Verizon exclusive in the US, the Edge Plus is still a premium 5G phone worth looking into. It features a Snapdragon 865 chipset, a giant battery, an OLED screen with a high refresh rate and multiple rear cameras with heavy-duty specs. As CNET’s Patrick Holland declared, it’s “one of the most wonderful Android phones I’ve tried in a long time.” Read our Motorola Edge Plus review.
Angela Lang/CNET
The OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro’s premium experience comes at a relatively affordable price compared to its high-end Android competitors. As the more advanced phone, the OnePlus 8 Pro has a 120Hz display and a telephoto camera. But the OnePlus 8 is cheaper and still has 5G, a 90Hz display and the same top-of-the-line processor. Read our OnePlus 8 review.
Motorola G 5G Plus
Motorola
Already available in Europe for 349 euros (about $400, £315 or AU$565), the Moto G 5G Plus features a 6.7-inch full HD display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 5,000-mAh battery, and a Snapdragon 765 5G processor. Though Motorola says it’s aiming to launch a sub-$500 5G phone for the US in the fall, it’s unclear whether or not this new device will be a reworked 5G Plus or a new phone altogether. Read our Moto G 5G Plus first take.
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In addition to its headphone jack (a rarity among top-tier phones these days), the LG V60 is unique because it works with a case accessory that effectively doubles the size of its screen. Known as Dual Screen, it allows the V60 to fold open like a book, so you can display two apps on both displays or view content as a single tablet (albeit with a big hinge in the middle). Read our LG V60 ThinQ 5G review.
Samsung Galaxy A71 5G
Samsung
The $600 (£519, AU$899) Galaxy A71 5G features a 6.7-inch AMOLED display, four rear cameras and a robust 4,500-mAh battery. In the US you can nab it on AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Samsung. Read our Galaxy A71 5G first-take.
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Like 2018’s Motorola Moto Z3, the Moto Z4 from last year connects to 5G networks with a Moto Mod accessory. The Mod attaches to the back of the phone using magnetic pins and, at the time, was one of the cheaper options for a 5G phone. Today, the phone itself costs $400 to $500 and the Mod runs an extra $350. Read our Motorola Moto Z4 review.
ZTE Axon 11 5G
ZTE
The Axon 11 5G packs a 6.47-inch screen, four rear cameras and a Snapdragon 765G processor. The phone is available in China and other countries in Europe and the Middle East. But its manufacturer, ZTE, is eyeing a US launch sometime early next year too, and with a sub-$300 price tag. Converted from Chinese yuan, the device’s starting price is $380, £305 or AU$560. Read our Axon 11 5G first-take.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G
Sareena Dayaram/CNET
The Mi 10 Pro 5G is packed with a Snapdragon 865 chipset, a 90Hz refresh-rate display, a 4,500-mAh battery and even a 108-megapixel rear camera. As a premium phone, it costs about $1,100 when converted from its price in Europe (999 euros, which is about £890 or AU$1,660). Read our Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro 5G review.
Samsung Galaxy A90 5G
Chris Monroe/CNET
The Galaxy A90 5G has a 6.7-inch display, three rear cameras and a Snapdragon 855 processor. It also has an octa-core processor and an in-screen fingerprint reader. Though not available through Samsung in the US, it retails for £399 in the UK (about $510; it’s not available in Australia). Read our Samsung Galaxy A90 5G hands-on.
Nokia 8.3
HMD Global
Though Nokia isn’t the phone giant that it was 15 years ago, it still launched a 5G phone. Known as the Nokia 8.3, the phone costs 599 euros ($650, £550 or AU$1,110) when it initially launched, and has “global 5G” capabilities. That means you can roam on 5G as you travel abroad — something we’ve not seen so far from other phone-makers.
Nokia also stands to benefit from 5G in other ways though. In addition to Qualcomm and Ericsson, the company has patent rights to 5G technology and stands to make up to $3.50 for every 5G phone sold. Read our Nokia 8.3 first take.
Coolpad
Chinese phone maker Coolpad’s first 5G phone was supposed to be the Legacy 5G. Though the company planned to sell the phone in the second quarter of 2020 for “under $400” via Coolpad, Amazon and other US retailers, we haven’t seen the 5G variant being sold yet (a 4G LTE version is available on Boost Mobile, however). The Legacy also operates on sub-6GHz spectrum and was supposed to be supported by T-Mobile and AT&T’s 5G networks. Read our Coolpad Legacy 5G hands-on.
TCL 10 5G
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Though it’s not a household name, TCL is usually known for its affordable TVs. The company does make phones too and its latest 5G phone is called the TCL 10 5G. It features four rear cameras, a headphone jack and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G chipset. Read our TCL 10 5G hands-on.
What about other companies?
As 5G networks all over the world continue to be built out, expect more phone-makers that don’t have 5G phones yet to join the fray soon. Here’s where other companies stand on 5G support and 5G adoption.
Apple
The 2019 iPhones do not have 5G connectivity.
Sarah Tew/CNETRumors are floating that Apple will include 5G connectivity this year for its upcoming iPhone 12. More specifically, Apple analyst Ming-chi Kuo predicts the company will unveil three 5G phones. There are a couple of reasons why the company didn’t jump on the trend in 2019.
First, Apple usually isn’t the first in on mobile trends, instead preferring to wait before emerging wireless technologies are widespread before committing to them. It was behind its competitors in making phones with 3G and 4G LTE connectivity when those networks launched.
Second, Apple stopped working with the leading 5G modem provider, Qualcomm, because of a dispute over Qualcomm’s licensing fees. The two companies settled their litigation in April 2019, and then agreed to a multiyear 5G chip deal. This led to Apple’s previous partner of 5G modems, Intel, to ultimately exit the 5G phone modem business altogether and Apple later acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business for $1 billion. Apple is still working with Qualcomm, but it got started too late to launch a 5G iPhone last year.
Apple did not respond for a request to comment.
HTC
HTC’s 5G Hub is a hotspot and runs full Android.
Sarah Tew/CNETInstead of a phone, Taiwanese electronics company HTC has a 5G hotspot. Available last year on Sprint for $600, but not currently on sale, the hub could connect up to 20 people simultaneously. Equipped with a 5-inch display, audio speakers and Android Pie software, the device was also a media hub that you could make video calls with or use to check mail.
