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5G is a new buzz in the world. We do not have a 5G mobile network yet in many countries but, mobile companies have already started to flood the market with so-called budget 5G smartphones.
But there’s bluff in it. Are these 5G smartphones really configured for 5G frequency bands?
Let’s understand that.
Mobile companies are fooling on the name of 5G smartphones
5G uses a frequency between 3 GHz- 39GHz in most countries in the world, which is at the bottom of the millimeter-wave band. There are 2 types of 5G networks I.e. Basic 5G and True 5G.
Basic 5G
Basic 5G is configured for sub 6 GHz frequency and that’s why it has a greater coverage but compromises on the internet speed. It is faster than 4G but much slower than a true 5G network.
That’s why it is called a 4.5G network. Moreover, for a basic 5G network, separate towers are not required to be installed. The 5G equipment can be installed on the same old huge towers.
True 5G
This is real 5G. True (High band) 5G uses a frequency between 25GHz- 39GHz. The speed of true 5G is 100 times faster than 4G but range/coverage is very less because of very high frequency.
The radio waves can be obstructed by any walls or any concrete structure. Special equipment and towers need to be installed for the true 5G network. The cost of the 5G technology including the equipment, maintenance, and operation is very high.
So, here is the catch.
Budget 5G smartphones are configured only for the basic 5G frequency bands and don’t provide you with full coverage of the 5G frequencies.
So, when the 5G network will be rolled out in the country, these budget phones will not provide any great speed advantage to its users. Moreover, to make it cheap to compete in the market, the mobile companies compromise on the configuration of the phones.
So, what you purchase is a 5G smartphone with almost no advantage over a high configuration 4G smartphone with the same price range.
Bharti Airtel, the telecom giant in India also noted that the 5G devices that are launched in the Indian market are not configured properly and the mobile companies are cheating mobile phone users on the name of 5G smartphones.
Check out these screenshots:
Your 5G mobile phone will not work in many countries
Different countries have allotted different 5G spectrums for mobile communications, mostly between 3 GHz – 39 GHz. While choosing a 5G smartphone before the 5G network rolls out in the country.
You must be careful to see which frequency band your phone is configured and the trade area of your ship or your travel pattern. Accordingly, you can choose the mobile phones otherwise your brand new 5G handset will not work in many countries for which you have paid so much.
Here is the list of all the 5G frequency bands of the world.
High 5G Frequency Bands
These bands are sub 6 GHz frequency bands usually available and can be quickly cleared for 5G use.
| Geographical Area | 5G Frequency Band |
| Europe | 3400 – 3800 MHz (awarding trial licenses) |
| China | 3300 – 3600 MHz (ongoing trial) |
| China | 4400 – 4500 MHz |
| China | 4800 – 4990 MHz |
| Japan | 3600 – 4200 MHz |
| Japan | 4400 – 4900 MHz |
| Korea | 3400 – 3700 MHz |
| USA | 3100 – 3550 MHz |
| USA | 3700 – 4200 MHz |
Very High 5G Frequency Bands (MMW)
These bands will allow the deployment of high speed 5G providing very high throughput thanks to the large bandwidth available for operators:
| Geographical Area | 5G Frequency Band |
| Europe | 24.25 – 27.5 GHz for commercial deployments from 2020 |
| China | Focusing on 24.25 – 27.5 GHz and 37 – 43.5 GHz studies |
| Japan | 27.5 – 28.28 GHz trials planned from 2017 and potentially commercial deployments in 2020 |
| Korea | 26.5 – 29.5 GHz trials in 2018 and commercial deployments in 2019 |
| USA | 27.5 – 28.35 GHz and 37 – 40 GHz pre-commercial deployments in 2018 |
5G TechNo Updates On Battery Life or Heat Dissipation With 5G Phones
All the top-notch 5G supported phones like Moto Z3, Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, and LG V50 seemed to drain the batteries in just 4-6 hours of full-throttle testing in the United States. Moreover, the phone heats up significantly when using this high-frequency millimeter 5G signal.
This is the performance of premium 5G phones in the market. So, you can imagine how the budget phones are going to perform. Qualcomm is trying to deal with the high-power consumption with a more powerful, energy-efficient Snapdragon X55 chip.
you can read the article on https://www.gizchina.com/ where they found that 40% of the users are keeping 5G network off in their phone all the time because of very fast battery consumption. Here is the screenshot of the article:
Conclusion:
So, the bottom line is that most of the companies are fooling their customers on the name of 5G smartphones in the countries where the 5G network has not even rolled out. The companies don’t even know the 5G spectrum that will be allocated in a particular country including India. That’s why it’s better to wait for a little. let there be a little more clarity and the technology to evolve for better performance.
But, still, if you want to buy a 5G smartphone, check out these options.