What is 5G?

Have you ever wondered why your connection speed is slow? Well, the speed will depend on what kind of network you are connected to. Most of the cell phones nowadays work under the 4G network, other even 3G network.

However, the new and latest network is called 5G. It is faster and much better than the other generations in several ways.

Here in this article, we will explain what 5G means and other important information you should know if you want to buy a 5G device. Let’s read on:

A brief piece of history

Did you know that the first cell phone was invented in 1973? Before that time, people used to use telegrams to communicate. They were messages that people could send by using an electrical telegraph. This device was operated with Morse code and even though at the time was very useful to communicate in long distances, it was quite limited.

Although the telephone was invented almost a century before, in 1973 Motorola released the first cell phone. It was big, weighted 2 kilograms, and worked under what was called the “zeroth Generation” (0G).

Nowadays, more than 45 years later, we are used to slim smartphones and light, the lightest mobile phone weighing 88.2 grams, and the slimmest measuring 4.75 mm in thickness. Now, about the generations, the latest is the 5G.

What Is 5G?

Before the existence of 5G, there were 0G, 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G networks. Each generation came with new technologies and features that were (and are being) essential for the improvement and development of the communication systems that we now use every day.

Talking about 5G, it is the latest global wireless network. It was not invented or developed by one single company, however, the company Qualcomm has played an important role.

The fifth generation has the peculiarity that lets the users connect virtually even more than before. This technology came with several advantages. Just to mention some of them, you can navigate on the internet with the highest data speed, and the latency is very low. Remember that latency is the delay in communication over a network. It means the time that takes since you send any information until it is transferred to the final destination is less. Besides, 5G network provides a higher performance and efficiency, which means that everyone when using it will enjoy a great experience.

What Underlying Technologies Make Up 5G?

To understand the basics of how the fifth-generation technology works, we need to define what it is based on.

It is based on OFDM, which stands for Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing. To explain it in simple words, the 5G works without much interference because there are many channels for the signal to travel. This also helps to reduce the latency. The result is more and more people connected at the same time enjoying the high speed of the network, without having to worry about interferences.

Performance of 5G

We want to describe to you using numerical data how good is the 5G network. Let’s see into more detail information about the speed, and latency:

Speed

When navigating on the internet using 5G data, you can get a range from 50 Mbps to over 1 Gbps. To give you a clear example, with this speed you could download a music album in 15 seconds, and watch HD videos without having to worry that it will stop from time to time. Of course, the signal strength will vary depending on the place where you are, but it will mainly stay in the range that we mentioned.

Latency

This feature will depend on the mobile network, however, the air latency should be around 8–12 milliseconds. It is a great advance from the air latency of the 4G network, which is from around 30ms to 70ms. With the 5G network, the delay between sending and receiving the information is reduced.

The Best 5G Phones

Do you want to enjoy the 5G experience? Well, the only way you have to do that is by getting a 5G cell phone. If you do not have one by now, here we provide you a list of the best 5G phones that you can find. Notice that here we are listing the best phones, which also means they are the newest and most expensive ones.

Let’s take a look:

• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
• iPhone 13
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
• Google Pixel 5a
• iPhone 13 mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• OnePlus 9 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
• Galaxy A32 5G
• Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
• iPhone 12 mini

Well, as you can see, it is not cheap to get a phone that works under the fifth-generation network. However, here you have more affordable options:

• OnePlus Nord 2
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T
• Realme GT
• Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite 5G
• OnePlus 8T
• Red Magic 6R
• Nubia Red Magic 6
• Realme 7 5G
• Xiaomi Poco F3
• Nokia 8.3 5G

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 5G?

It is the fifth generation of mobile networks, which provides a better experience to the user, including the highest speed rate.

Why is 5G better than 4G?

The 5G network can reach speeds that are 100 faster than the 4G network. Besides, it works more efficiently.

Who invented 5G?

There is not a specific owner of this technology; however, the company Qualcomm provided most of the technologies needed to develop it.

Is it expensive to get a 5G cell phone?

As it is a new technology, not all the available phones can provide the 5G network. However, if you want to get it you will need to make an investment buying a new phone.

We hope that this article has been useful for you, to know more about the 5G network. Now you know that it is much faster than the 4G and that to enjoy it you need a 5G cell phone. We can tell that smartphones can be expensive at the moment, however, sooner than later more and more cell phone companies will likely be making and providing these cell phones at a more affordable price.