5G is very much the hottest up-and-coming piece of tech in the world of mobile connectivity. It’s much faster than previous generations of cell networks, and it’s spreading throughout the world slowly but surely.

With 5G moving from the future to the present, you might wonder where you can get the best 5G access with your handset. Well, that can be complex – let’s talk about it.

Is 5G becoming more widespread?

The 5G network is spreading well throughout the world, and the speeds are increasing across all 5G cells. However, the rate at which consumers are picking up on it is a little slower than you might expect.

The main reason for this is that there’s been no huge revolution in the tech within handsets. 3G and 4G both coincided with a boost toward smartphones and larger touch screens. 5G, however, simply allows you to do the same things you’ve always done, but more quickly.

People are happy to continue using their current phones and often don’t see a reason to switch to a 5G-ready handset. However, as speeds become faster and tech integration becomes more common, this is likely to change.

Are all phones capable of 5G?

This is quite a complex question, and the answer is both yes and no. On the one hand, yes, most users can use their onboard SIM, or find an eSIM online, and connect to a local 5G network.

However, 5G has further offerings that not everyone can gain access to. To break it down: the 5G network is faster than previous generations because it uses a wider range of radio frequencies to connect phones to cell towers. Every 5G phone can connect to some of these frequencies, but only a select few can connect to all of them.

The common 5G frequencies that all 5G phones can connect to are called ‘Sub-6’, while the expanded range is called ‘mmWave’. Not all 5G phones have an antenna that can connect to mmWave frequencies, so the phones without that antenna can’t access all of the 5G frequencies.

What phones offer full 5G?

The good news is that there is a vast range of phones that can access the full spectrum of 5G frequencies, including Sub-6 and mmWave. Within these phones there are both Apple and Android offerings, meaning that you can connect to 5G with no problems using either system.

Both Apple and Android phones have had access to the mmWave feature for a while, with the iPhone 12 being the first iPhone to use it, and the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G being the first Android phone. The S10 5G was released on the 5th of April 2019, while the iPhone 12 was released on October 23, 2020. You could argue, therefore, that Android phones have an edge with full 5G technology: they’ve been using it for a longer time.

The majority of phones that you buy nowadays will have great 5G network access. However, Android phones have had access to that technology for a little longer than Apple iPhones, which some people may consider a bit of a step above the competition.