5G Phone Deals

1. What 5G phones are currently available?

There are currently over 50 phones available in the UK that support 5G.

Popular 5G phones include the iPhone 12 range, Samsung Galaxy S20, Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 5G, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, Samsung Galaxy A90 5G, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus 8 Pro, OnePlus 8, OnePlus Nord, Huawei P40, Huawei P40 Pro and the Huawei P40 Lite. All current iPhone models don't support 5G, so if you own an iPhone you'll need to upgrade to a 5G phone to enjoy the faster speeds offered by 5G networks.

1.1 Apple 5G Phones

There are currently 4 5G iPhones available to buy now or coming soon, covering the entire iPhone 12 range.

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini

The iPhone 12 is Apple’s latest main iPhone, standing out as a great middle ground between the iPhone 12 Pro and the compact iPhone 12 Mini.

It has a 6.1-inch OLED screen, a dual-lens camera, a premium design, and truly top-end power from its A14 Bionic chipset. The iPhone 12 Mini is a very similar phone, but it’s a lot more compact at 5.4 inches, and therefore costs less.

iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are Apple’s top phones in two different sizes – the Pro has a 6.1-inch screen, while the Max has a 6.7-inch one.

Other than the potentially bigger screen, the main way these stand out from the rest of the iPhone 12 range is in the cameras. They have an extra lens (a telephoto one), and even a LiDAR scanner, which should lead to next-level augmented reality experiences.

1.2 Samsung 5G Phones

There are currently 15 Samsung 5G phones available to buy now or soon, including the flagship Samsung S20 and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ranges, and the futuristic Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2.

Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G

The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is a newer, cheaper take on the Galaxy S20, with a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED screen, a silky smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and a big 4,500mAh battery.

Both the screen and battery are bigger than the standard Samsung Galaxy S20 in fact, and the Galaxy S20 FE 5G also has a high-end Snapdragon 865 chipset, a triple-lens camera, and most of the other specs you’d expect from a flagship. Other than the price, the only real sign that it’s not quite a flagship is its plastic back.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is Samsung’s ultimate foldable phone, packing a 7.6-inch 1768 x 2208 main screen (with a 120Hz refresh rate) and a 6.23-inch 816 x 2260 cover display.

It has top-tier power too, thanks to a Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset and 12GB of RAM, along with up to 512GB of storage, a 4,500mAh battery, and loads of cameras.

It looks like a vision of the future and performs just as well as any other 2020 flagship, doing the job of a phone and tablet all in one.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is a super-premium phone just like the S20 Ultra, but being a Note it comes with an S Pen stylus.

That allows you to write and sketch as if using a pen or pencil on its 6.9-inch 1440 x 3088 screen. And it’s a screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support, so it looks great.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra also has a powerful Exynos 990 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and a triple-lens camera, with a 108MP main sensor, a 12MP telephoto one (with 5x optical zoom), and a 12MP ultra-wide one.

The phone has a big 4,500mAh battery too, plus plenty of other flagship features, making it a top-quality 5G phone.

Samsung Galaxy S20 5G

The Samsung Galaxy S20 5G is one of a trio of flagships from Samsung, all of which come in 5G flavours – but note that there’s also a 4G version of this phone, so make sure you buy the right one.

The S20 5G, as well as 5G, stands out through its super sharp and super smooth 6.2-inch 1440 x 3200 Dynamic AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate – which is double what most phones offer.

You also get truly top-end power from its Exynos 990 chipset paired with 12GB of RAM, and there’s a great triple-lens camera, with 12MP main, 64MP telephoto, and 12MP ultra-wide lenses.

The Samsung Galaxy S20 also packs a big 4,000mAh battery, a premium design, and is available from EE, Vodafone, O2, Three, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile, VOXI and BT Mobile.

1.3 Huawei 5G Phones (plus Honor)

Huawei and Honor have launched 5 5G phones in the UK, which include the stunning Huawei Mate 20 X and the brilliant Huawei P40 range.

Huawei P40 range

The Huawei P40 and Huawei P40 Pro are Huawei’s rivals to the Samsung Galaxy S20 range, and they’re strong rivals too, not just packing 5G but also a top-tier Kirin 990 chipset, up to 8GB of RAM and 50MP main snappers.

The Huawei P40 Pro’s main camera is joined by three other lenses, and the phone additionally has a 6.58-inch 1200 x 2640 90Hz screen, a 4,200mAh battery, and water resistance, while the standard Huawei P40 has two additional lenses, a 6.1-inch 1080 x 2340 screen and a 3,800mAh battery.

Both phones are great, but notably neither comes with the Google Play Store, so you’ll have to use other stores for your apps.

These two handsets have since been joined by the even higher end Huawei P40 Pro Plus, which is like the P40 Pro but with a ceramic build, an extra lens (for five rear ones in total) allowing for 10x optical zoom, and more storage (up to 512GB).

And if you want something lower end (and therefore a lot more affordable) there’s the Huawei P40 Lite, which has landed with a 6.5-inch 1080 x 2400 screen, an upper mid-range Kirin 820 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a 4,000mAh battery, and a quad-lens camera, headlined by a 64MP sensor.

Huawei Mate XS 5G

The Huawei Mate XS is arguably the most polished foldable phone there is at the time of writing, offering a similar form factor to the Samsung Galaxy Fold, but folding in such a way that the main screen is always visible.

That screen measures 8 inches when unfolded, and with a resolution of 2200 x 2480 it’s certainly sharp. When folded shut you still have over 6 inches of screen visible, so this is a very versatile phone, working both as a handset and a tablet.

The Huawei Mate XS also has a top-end Kirin 990 chipset, 8GB of RAM, a quad-lens camera, and a 4,500mAh battery, and because it folds, the main camera can also be used for selfies. The Huawei Mate XS isn’t cheap, but it is a superb glimpse of the future.

1.4 OnePlus 5G phones

There are currently 5 OnePlus 5G phones available to buy or coming soon, including the flagship OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 8T, and the affordable OnePlus Nord.

OnePlus 8T

The OnePlus 8T is the company’s final 2020 flagship, though it’s actually a slightly lower end and more affordable phone than the OnePlus 8 Pro.

It’s still packed full of premium features though, including a 6.55-inch 120Hz display, a Snapdragon 865 chipset, and a quad-lens camera, with main, ultra-wide, macro and depth sensors. With up to 12GB of RAM as well there’s plenty of power, and the OnePlus 8T has a big 4,500mAh battery with incredibly fast 65W charging too.

OnePlus Nord

The OnePlus Nord is one of the cheapest 5G phones yet, as you can buy it SIM-free from just £379. For that you get a phone with a 6.44-inch 1080 x 2400 AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate.

It also has a quad-lens rear camera, a dual-lens front-facing camera, a 4,115mAh battery, an upper mid-range Snapdragon 765G chipset, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.

There’s also a model with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, but that costs more at £469. Still, either way you’re getting a whole lot of phone and loads of cameras for not much money.

OnePlus 8 Pro

The OnePlus 8 Pro comes with 5G as standard and it’s the best phone OnePlus has ever made, with the highlight being its 6.78-inch 1440 x 3168 screen with a 120Hz refresh rate – a refresh rate that’s higher than the vast majority of phones.

The OnePlus 8 Pro also packs a top-end Snapdragon 865 chipset and up to 12GB of RAM, so coupled with 5G nothing will slow it down.

There’s a quad-lens camera too, plus water resistance, a big 4,510mAh battery, wireless charging and up to 256GB of storage.

1.5 Xiaomi 5G Phones

There are currently 4 Xiaomi 5G phones available to buy including the flagship Xiaomi Mi 10 and the more affordable Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite 5G and Xiaomi Mi Mix 3.

1.6 Other 5G phones

There are currently upwards of 20 other 5G phones available to buy either now or soon, including offerings from Nokia, Sony, LG and more.

Google Pixel 5

The Google Pixel 5 is Google’s latest flagship, though it uses an upper mid-range chipset which means it’s cheaper than most high-end phones.

It’s one of Google’s first 5G phones, but it also has a high-quality 6.0-inch 1080 x 2340 OLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate, plus a great dual-lens camera, combining a top-quality 12.2MP main sensor with a 16MP ultra-wide one.

There’s also 8GB of RAM and – unusually for a modern phone – a metal back, giving it a slightly different look and feel to most handsets.

Google Pixel 4a 5G

The Google Pixel 4a 5G is Google’s cheapest 5G phone, but this is more than just a 5G version of the Google Pixel 4a, it’s actually a quite different – and better – handset.

It has a nippy upper mid-range Snapdragon 765G chipset (the same as the Pixel 5), plus a 6.2-inch 1080 x 2340 OLED screen, a flagship-quality camera, and excellent software.

Sony Xperia 5 II

The Sony Xperia 5 II is a smaller alternative to the Sony Xperia 1 II flagship, though at 6.1 inches it’s hardly tiny.

As well as 5G it has a top-tier Snapdragon 865 chipset, a triple-lens camera, a 120Hz refresh rate, and 8GB of RAM, so it’s still high-end, just relatively compact.

Motorola Edge 5G

The Motorola Edge 5G is an upper mid-range 5G handset with an award-winning design, the highlight of which is a steeply curved screen.

That screen is big at 6.7 inches and has a 1080 x 2340 resolution, a 90Hz refresh rate, and HDR10 support. The Motorola Edge 5G also has a 4,500mAh battery, 128GB of storage, 6GB of RAM, and a quad-lens camera, with a 64MP main sensor, a 16MP ultra-wide one, an 8MP telephoto one, and a depth sensor.

Really the only part of it that isn’t high-end is the Snapdragon 765 chipset, but that’s still fairly fast and powerful.

Nokia 8.3 5G

The Nokia 8.3 5G is the first 5G phone from the brand and it has two big things going for it: price and wide 5G compatibility.

It supports more 5G bands than any other phone at the time of writing, meaning you should be able to get the maximum possible performance from 5G networks in most parts of the world.

As for price, while a UK price hasn’t been confirmed yet, based on the price in euros it’s likely to start at around £550 SIM free, which is cheap for a 5G phone.

Beyond that, the Nokia 8.3 5G has a 6.81-inch 1080 x 2400 screen, an upper mid-range Snapdragon 765G chipset, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of storage, and a 4,500mAh battery.

It also has a quad-lens rear camera, comprised of a 64MP main lens, a 12MP ultra-wide one, a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro one. 5G credentials aside it’s not quite as high-end as most phones on this list, but at its price it doesn’t need to be.

2. Frequently Asked Questions