When Is It A Good Time To Buy A New Phone My. Phone Says No Service

Every flagship phone in America has 5G at present, so it's worth asking: Should you upgrade?

Co-ordinate to Counterpoint Research, 73% of United states of america phones sold(Opens in a new window) were 5G equally of January 2022. Only the percentage of Americans with 5G phones is lower overall because most people hang on to phones for about three years(Opens in a new window), and 5G phones aren't fifty-fifty 3 years one-time. The real question is whether it'due south worth upgrading early on or keeping your reliable 4G phone for as long as information technology works.

5G devices better every year, so it might seem similar you should hold off as long as you can before picking up a 5G phone. Depending on your carrier, though, information technology may be a good time to jump in at present. If you intend to continue your next telephone for another three years, getting a 5G device is smart. You merely demand to become the correct ane 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. In the The states, yous can't purchase a flagship phone without 5G! So, if a high-end telephone's powerful camera or amazing screen attracts you, that's a great reason to buy it; 5G connectivity is the cherry on top.

5G: The HOV Lane of Mobile

At that place are no killer new 5G applications however; information technology primarily makes existing applications faster. But I'd still advise getting a 5G telephone, because information technology's the HOV lane of the mobile network. Right now, certain airwaves are designated just for 5G, and there aren't a lot of 5G phones out there. In crowded weather, when 4G networks choke upward, your 5G connexion may however be clear. That tin give yous much more of a speed boost than you'd expect.

T-Mobile: The Time for 5G Is Now

T-Mobile has spent the past two years blanketing the country with 5G. That's why the carrier won our Fastest Mobile Network award for the first time in 2021. And as we've tested T-Mobile 5G phones in New York over the past year, we've constitute that 5G speeds can exist anywhere between three and 10 times faster than what we're seeing on the carrier'due south 4G system. If you are on T-Mobile, information technology's worth upgrading to a 5G phone now.

Three phones displaying speed test results ranging from 259Mbps to 2.82Mbps

Hither nosotros have T-Mobile mid-band 5G on the iPhone 12 (left), T-Mobile 4G with 4x4 MIMO on the iPhone 12 Pro (eye), and the poor iPhone 11 (correct), which has neither.

Dissimilar on AT&T and Verizon, 5G on T-Mobile can improve coverage as well as speed. Role of T-Mobile's 5G network uses a low-frequency ring, n71, that covers small towns and rural areas. A small amount of that is set aside for 4G, but much of information technology is used for 5G. So functioning in those rural areas volition probably better with a 5G phone.

All of T-Mobile's 5G phones have T-Mobile's principal 5G technologies, low- and mid-band 5G. Fewer have high-ring 5G, just T-Mobile doesn't rely very heavily on that technology. If you're on an older Dart or T-Mobile 4G phone, moving up to 5G volition requite you noticeably better performance on the new T-Mobile network, right now.

Verizon: Speed Up With C-Ring

Verizon spent the past five months spreading its own flavor of mid-ring 5G, known as C-band, to more than 100 million Americans. If you lot alive in one of the areas in darkest red on Verizon's coverage map(Opens in a new window), you will see pregnant improvements if you get a C-band-capable phone. Nosotros have a full list of Verizon C-Band phones here.

If you lot don't live in 1 of Verizon'due south C-ring areas, the carrier's "nationwide 5G" isn't a big bargain. C-band is currently simply immune in parts of the country; the rest of the nation gets admission in 2024. Verizon users in not-C-band areas shouldn't worry about a 5G upgrade until and so.

Verizon likewise promotes its fast millimeter-wave 5G, which is bachelor outdoors in some Usa cities and resort towns. Millimeter moving ridge is the fastest 5G in the world, with speeds sometimes over 3Gbps. But coverage is extremely express even in the cities it serves, making information technology difficult to recommend that y'all get a phone primarily considering of mmWave 5G. Y'all tin can check coverage on Verizon's map(Opens in a new window).

Verizon's UWB 5G is the earth's fastest, but information technology nevertheless has very limited coverage.

AT&T: Get three.45GHz For The Time to come

AT&T will too employ C-ring, simply plans to heavily rely on a newer set of mid-band frequencies called 3.45GHz, or DoD, or sometimes Andromeda. Whatever you call these frequencies, relatively few phones back up them right at present. But, as AT&T turns the spectrum on afterward this yr, more devices should launch with support for these bands.

That's OK. AT&T'southward 4G network functioning is however very good. (The company calls its best 4G "5G East," but it isn't 5G.) You'll be but fine for now on AT&T with a recent 4G telephone such as the Samsung Milky way S10 serial or the iPhone 11 series.

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At the moment, the phones in the Samsung Galaxy S22 lineup are the only ones that AT&T says officially support iii.45GHz. But others, especially the Google Pixel 6a, might. The iPhone xiv about certainly will.

The Samsung Galaxy S22 supports all the new AT&T frequencies.

The Samsung Milky way S22 supports all the new AT&T frequencies. (Photograph: Molly Flores)

If y'all go with another AT&T 5G phone that supports C-ring frequencies but not 3.45GHz, yous should still get a lift in performance across most of the country every bit AT&T turns that network upwards in 2023. So it'south worth getting a C-band phone, but ideally, you should look for a three.45GHz device.

Other Brands: Follow the Network

Other wireless carrier brands will carry here the way their network provider does. Then if you are on Boost, Metro, Mint Mobile, or some other T-Mobile–based brand, 5G volition aid you lot. If you are on Spectrum, Xfinity, or some other Verizon-based brand, or Consumer Cellular, H2o, or some other AT&T-based brand, you want to look for C-band.

Do Y'all Want a 5G iPhone?

The models in the iPhone 12 and 13 series, every bit well equally the 2022 iPhone SE, all back up 5G. The iPhone 11, the 2020 iPhone SE, and older models don't. You will probably choice your iPhone based on other things: promotions, for instance, or the quality of the camera. 5G connectivity is just another reason to buy a newer iPhone. These unlocked phones take both C-band and T-Mobile's 5G bands; they work well on all three carriers' upcoming 5G networks and requite you the maximum flexibility.

If you've decided the time is right to leap on the bandwagon, check out our picks for the best 5G phones.

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