Depending on where you live and which smart devices you own, the high-speed, 5G future could actually be a reality for you today. Most people think of the 5G upgrade as something we’ll see in the near future or throughout the year, but 5G-capable devices are already on the market. People residing in certain cities can already take advantage of what 5G has to offer, and may not even know it.

At its core, the big deal with 5G is that it provides a massive boost to data transfer speeds. The move from 4G to 5G means going from a limit of 100 megabits per second to 10 gigabits per second. Even on the low end, 5G will be at least 10-20 times faster than 4G. Practically speaking, it would be possible to download most full-HD movies in less than 10 seconds. It also means low-latency connections and internet access for lots of non-phone devices, like cars, remotes, and drones.

The downside to 5G, however, comes in the transition from radio waves to millimeter waves. The new signal provides amazing speed benefits, but doesn’t have great range, so 5G is only accessible in very specific areas, for now. Despite that, mobile phone manufacturers have already released 5G products aimed at consumers fortunate enough to live in one of those areas, and they’re not shy about letting you know which devices those are.

5G Phones You Can Buy Today

Unsurprisingly, the first name that springs to mind when thinking about 5G phones is Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G is already on the market and is 5G enabled, in addition to being widely considered one of the best smartphones ever. The phone actually launched in 2019, but it’ll soon be succeeded in 2020 by the Galaxy S20 series, all of which will be 5G phones. Samsung has also released a Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, and the less-expensive A90 5G.

Outside of Samsung, the other name that crops up is Apple, which has neither a 5G phone on the market, nor an announcement of one. That’s likely to change soon, but still, there are a few noteworthy 5G smartphones available in North America, from other manufacturers. Those include:

  • OnePlus 7 Pro 5G OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren LG V50 ThinQ 5G Motorola Moto Z4, Z3 or Z2 Force (requires an separate accessory)

ZTE has a 5G phone and Huawei will soon have 5G devices on shelves in China, but it is unlikely they will see a western release (this is especially true for Huawei).

Which Areas Are Ready for 5G

 

The rollout of 5G in the US will speed up throughout 2020, but as of now, true 5G is only available in major cities. Before purchasing any 5G devices it’s extremely important to confirm a provider’s service area. Any direct list is loaded with caveats – for instance, AT&T offers 5GE, which is slower than Verizon’s 4G speeds in some cases. T-Mobile provides “true” 5G, in seven cities and a lower-frequency option in about 5,000 cities nationwide. Their low-end services are still performing above 4G’s thresholds, but only in certain areas of certain cities. Sprint offers 5G in about 9 cities, again, within certain places of those cities.

AT&T 5G Coverage

  • Birmingham Indianapolis Los Angeles Milwaukee Pittsburgh Providence Rochester San Diego San Francisco San Jose

Sprint 5G Coverage

  • Atlanta Chicago Dallas Houston Kansas City, MO Los Angeles New York Phoenix Washington

T-Mobile 5G Coverage (For full 5G. The lower-end service for T-Mobile is nationwide).

  • Atlanta Cleveland Dallas Las Vegas Los Angeles New York

Verizon 5G Coverage

  • Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Denver Detroit Hoboken, NJ Houston Indianapolis Los Angeles Memphis Minneapolis Omaha Providence, RI Saint Paul, MN Washington Phoenix New York City Boise Panama City Sioux Falls Des Moines Charlotte, NC Greensboro, NC Salt Lake City, UT Spokane, WA Miami, FL Grand Rapids, MI Cleveland, OH Columbus, OH Hampton Roads, VA

The clear front runner for 5G is Verizon. Their 5G services began earlier than the competition’s and they’ve reached over 30 cities. Speed-wise, the slowest reports say they’re about 1.5 Gbps, which is still faster than 95% of America’s wired home internet connections, and a massive improvement over 4G. That said, anyone planning to jump into 5G right now should absolutely check with their service provider to find out if they live or work in a 5G “dead zone” before making the investment. 5G is a reality today, but it’s also still in its infancy.

Next: Which US Cities Have 5G Service Today