Compare Deals and save hundreds of pounds Sim Only Deals Phone Deals A 5G phone contract will for most people be the simplest way to get up and running with 5G, as it gives you everything you need (well, except 5G coverage). You get both a 5G handset and – in most cases – a plan that comes with 5G data.
The alternative is to opt for 5G SIM Only and then buy a 5G phone separately (if you don’t already have one), so there are more steps that way, along with a higher upfront cost, since you’ll have to pay for the phone in full.
Spreading the cost on a 5G phone contract can make it much more affordable, and as for why you’d want a 5G phone specifically, that’s simple – the data speeds are far higher than on 4G, improving just about every part of your online experience, and ensuring the phone is future-proofed for years to come.
We can’t answer that for you, but there’s a growing number of great 5G handsets, so there’s no shortage of choice.
The main things to consider are price (with the latest and best prices being visible above), what features you want from it (such as a big battery or lots of cameras), and whether you want iOS or Android.
Though, at the time of writing there are no 5G iPhones, so right now it’s Android or nothing. And as for the other considerations, most 5G phones are fairly high end, meaning they excel in most areas, so you’re unlikely to go wrong with any of them.
The biggest factor here is likely to just be coverage, which we talk about more below, and price, which again, can be found in our deals above.
Beyond that you may want to consider free roaming locations and what extras comes with your plan (with some networks for example chucking in streaming music or video subscriptions).
You can find full details of the good and bad points of every network on our coverage and network review pages.
The main UK networks are all rapidly expanding their 5G coverage at the time of writing, so if they don’t have coverage where you are now they might well do soon. Judging which has the best overall coverage right now is tricky and it’s likely to change, so your best option is just to go with a network that has coverage in your area.
You can find full coverage details on our network coverage pages and the official coverage pages for each network.
At the time of writing, EE, Three, Vodafone and O2 all offer unlimited 5G data with a phone. More networks may well start offering unlimited data plans over time, but you’ll always find the latest deals and options above.
Probably not, unless you bought a new high-end handset in 2019 or later. Even then, if you bought the phone in 2019 it likely won’t be, as 5G didn’t start becoming a remotely standard flagship feature until 2020. If you’re unsure then your phone’s documentation should tell you.
In all likelihood though you will need to buy a new handset if you want to take advantage of 5G speeds.
Apple hasn’t yet confirmed when it will launch a 5G iPhone, but most rumours suggest that 2020’s top-end models (likely to be called the iPhone 12 range) will come in 5G flavours. Those phones are likely to land in September 2020.
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