5G phones have landed offering blazing fast speeds that are many times faster than 4G. There are several 5G ready phones available in the UK today with more set to launch in the coming months.
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What current phones are 5G ready?
There are currently six phones available in the UK that support 5G, which are the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G, OnePlus 7 Pro 5G, LG V50 ThinQ, Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G, Oppo Reno 5G and Royole FlexPai.
All other phones, including all current iPhone models, don't support 5G. Therefore, you'll need to upgrade to a 5G phone to enjoy the faster speeds offered by 5G networks.
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
The highest profile 5G handset is the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. This is a 5G version of the flagship Galaxy S10, but it’s an upgrade in a number of other ways too, including its 6.7-inch QHD+ curved screen, its 4,500mAh battery, and six cameras, with four on the back (a 12MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, a 12MP lens that can switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4, a 16MP ultra-wide f/2.2 lens, and a 3D depth sensor), and two on the front (a 10MP one and a 3D depth sensor).
The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G is the only one of the S10 range to sport 3D depth sensors and it’s an addition made with 5G in mind, as the technologies combined could help power augmented and virtual reality use cases, among other things.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G also has an in-screen fingerprint scanner, a top-end Exynos 9820 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, plus a premium, water-resistant build.
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Samsung Galaxy S10 5G Deals |
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15GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£66 a month £99 upfront |
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10GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£69 a month £30 upfront |
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60GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£70 a month £49 upfront |
| View all Galaxy S10 5G deals on EE or Vodafone | ||
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OnePlus 7 Pro 5G
The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G is already available on EE, making it one of the very first 5G phones in the UK. Prices start at £59 per month.
As well as 5G, this phone has a 6.67-inch 1440 x 3120 curved screen with almost no bezel – instead, the selfie camera pops out of the top and the fingerprint scanner is built into the display.
It also has a triple-lens rear camera, with a 48MP main lens, a 16MP wide-angle one and an 8MP telephoto one, plus a 4,000mAh battery, a top-end Snapdragon 855 chipset and 256GB of storage.
So it’s a true 5G flagship, yet it undercuts the Galaxy S10 5G and most other early 5G phones.
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OnePlus 7 Pro 5G Deals |
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10GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£59 a month £50 upfront |
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30GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£64 a month £50 upfront |
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60GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£69 a month £30 upfront |
| View all OnePlus 7 Pro 5G deals on EE | ||
LG V50 ThinQ
The LG V50 ThinQ is LG’s first 5G phone and as well as 5G it has a 6.4-inch 1440 x 3120 screen, a top-end Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and a triple lens rear camera, with a 12MP standard lens, a 12MP telephoto one and a 16MP ultra-wide one.
It also has a 4,000mAh battery and stereo speakers, with the latter boosted by DTS:X technology which can create a surround sound-like experience, while aptX and aptX HD audio technology are used to improve the sound when using headphones.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the V50 ThinQ though – other than its 5G – is its optional DualScreen accessory, which lets you clip a second 6.2-inch screen to the device, one which can be used independently, bringing the LG V50 ThinQ a bit closer to being a folding phone. It’s out now on EE.
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LG V50 ThinQ Deals |
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10GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£69 a month £50 upfront |
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30GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£74 a month £50 upfront |
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60GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£79 a month £30 upfront |
| View all LG V50 ThinQ deals on EE | ||
Oppo Reno 5G
The Oppo Reno 5G is another 5G phone that you’ll be able to buy in the UK soon – though only on EE, as that’s the exclusive network partner for the device.
The Oppo Reno 5G has a 6.6-inch 1080 x 2340 AMOLED screen, a 16MP pop-up selfie camera, and a triple-lens rear camera, with a 48MP main lens, a 13MP telephoto lens (capable of 10x lossless zoom) and an 8MP wide-angle lens.
The phone has a top-end Snapdragon 855 chipset, 8GB of RAM, a 4,065mAh battery, and an in-screen fingerprint scanner. It’s available now on EE.
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Oppo Reno 5G Deals |
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10GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£54 a month £100 upfront |
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10GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£59 a month £10 upfront |
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60GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£64 a month £10 upfront |
| View all Oppo Reno 5G deals on EE | ||
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G
The standard Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 was actually announced back in 2018 and back then the company revealed that a 5G model would be launched at some point.
Well, that’s now happened. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G in most other ways is similar to the standard model, but that’s no bad thing. It has a 6.39-inch 1080 x 2340 AMOLED screen, and a slide-out dual-lens selfie camera, which in turn means there’s no notch and almost no bezel.
Additionally, the Mi Mix 3 5G has a powerful Snapdragon 855 chipset, a pair of 12MP cameras on the back, a 3,800mAh battery, a dedicated Google Assistant button, a hybrid cooling system and a ceramic body. Plus, at just €599 (around £520) or from £50 per month on Vodafone, it’s one of the cheapest initial 5G handsets..
It was also the first one available, as Vodafone launched the phone on May 23rd.
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Xiaomi Mix 3 5G Deals |
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5GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£50 a month £99 upfront |
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15GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£54 a month £49 upfront |
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60GB data Unlimited minutes Unlimited texts |
£58 a month £49 upfront |
| View all Xiaomi Mix 3 5G deals on Vodafone | ||
Royole FlexPai
The Royole FlexPai is another phone that’s out now. It was the first foldable phone to launch and it will at some point get a software update to enable 5G – but that hasn’t arrived yet.
It’s also probably not something you should rush out and buy, as it’s very expensive (the only current models available in the UK are aimed at developers and start at £1,209). It’s also - based on early reviews - seemingly not a particularly polished handset.
What 5G phones are coming soon?
The Huawei Mate X, Huawei Mate 20X and ZTE Axon 10 Pro have all been officially announced, but are yet to go on sale in the UK.
Huawei Mate X
The Huawei Mate X is another very exciting 5G phone that’s already been announced. In fact, it’s even more exciting than the Galaxy S10 5G, but also more niche. That’s because it also has a folding screen and is set to cost €2,299 (around £2,000).
The Mate X can be used as phone-sized device with a 6.6-inch screen on one side and a 6.4-inch one on the other, or it can be opened out into an 8-inch 2200 x 2480 tablet-sized device.
It has an OLED screen, three cameras, a super-powerful octa-core Kirin 980 chipset, 8GB of RAM, a massive 4,500mAh battery, and 512GB of storage, so this is a top-end handset even before you factor in the 5G or folds. EE, Three and Vodafone had all confirmed plans to stock the Mate X at some point this year, with Vodafone saying it will arrive this summer. According to Huawei, the phone will land by September.
Huawei Mate 20 X
As well as the Huawei Mate X, the company is also launching a 5G version of the already-available Huawei Mate 20 X. This has a massive 7.2-inch screen (just like the standard model), along with a 4,200mAh battery, a triple-lens rear camera and a high-end chipset.
We’re not sure when this one will land, but Vodafone had originally said to expect it at some point this summer. Since then though both it and EE have paused their plans to stock it until they know Huawei’s situation. SIM-free pricing is set to be £999. However, Huawei has confirmed plans to bring it to the UK by the end of July, so it’s likely the above networks will stock it.
ZTE Axon 10 Pro
The ZTE Axon 10 Pro is another top-end phone that also supports 5G. It has a 6.47-inch 1080 x 2340 AMOLED screen, 6GB of RAM, a Snapdragon 855 chipset, barely any bezel and – like most current 5G phones – it uses the Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
There are three cameras on the back, namely a 48MP main lens, a 20MP ultra-wide-angle one and an 8MP telephoto one. Plus the ZTE Axon 10 Pro has a 4,000mAh battery, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and AI smarts, which allow the phone to automatically adjust the CPU, GPU, RAM and ROM as needed. We don’t know what the ZTE Axon 10 Pro will cost, but you should be able to buy it before long.
Are there any rumoured 5G phones?
As you can see in the table below a number of other manufacturers are known or rumoured to be working on 5G phones.
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Manufacturer |
Phone model | Rumoured announcement |
| Honor | To be confirmed |
Mid to Late 2019 |
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Apple |
To Be confirmed | 2020 |
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Vivo |
iQOO 5G |
Late 2019 |
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Sony |
To be confirmed |
TBC |
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Huawei |
To be confirmed | Mid to Late 2019 |
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Samsung |
Galaxy Note 10 5G (TBC) | August 7th |
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Xiaomi (Black Shark) |
To be confirmed | 2019 |
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Motorola |
To be confirmed | TBC |
Apple
There has been lots of talk about a 5G iPhone, but most of it suggests that 2020’s model will support 5G, rather than this year’s.
So our best guess for now is that the first 5G iPhone will be the iPhone 12 (or whatever Apple calls it) and that it will land around September 2020, but there’s an outside chance that the iPhone 11, expected around September 2019, will support 5G.
If it is the iPhone 11, then rumours for it include a triple-lens rear camera, a 5.8-inch screen, smaller bezels and notch than the iPhone XS, a 4,000mAh battery, a USB-C port, and a 10MP front camera.
The iPhone 12 meanwhile will probably get all of that (if the iPhone 11 does) and may also have a 3D rear camera that uses lasers to function.
There’s also an outside chance that we might be waiting until 2021 for a 5G iPhone, especially as Apple has seemingly had issues finding a 5G modem supplier capable of manufacturing enough, but 2020 remains our best guess for now, with Qualcomm in the driving seat, despite the two companies’ legal issues.
Honor
Honor is also known to be working on a 5G phone, and having previously said that it aims to be the first to market, has now switched to saying its 5G phone will land in the fourth quarter of 2019.
We don’t know anything about the phone yet, but we’ll update you once we do.
Vivo
Then there’s Vivo. The company has confirmed that it’s working on a 5G handset using its Vivo Nex device as the basis.
Since then it has announced the Vivo iQOO 5G, a phone with super-fast charging and a Snapdragon 855 chipset. Other details are light, but it’s set to land (at least in some countries) in the third quarter of 2019.
It’s also worth noting that Vivo handsets aren’t often widely available in the UK, so you might have to import it.
Sony
Sony hasn’t specifically confirmed a 5G phone, but it has come very close, talking a lot in blog posts and presentations about 5G technology (in one case mentioning both 5G and phones in the same presentation slide). So we might see a 5G phone from the company in 2019, though with the Sony Xperia 1 having been announced in February with no 5G, we might be waiting until the Sony Xperia 2 likely in late 2019, or potentially even longer.
That’s not so surprising, as Sony has previously gone on record recently saying that it doesn’t want to rush to launch a 5G handset and will probably only launch one when there’s a need from networks and customers. As yet we don’t know much about the company’s 5G phone, but there are rumours that it will be foldable.
Huawei
We also might soon see additional 5G phones from Huawei. As exciting as the Mate X is, it’s also too expensive for most buyers, while the Mate 20 X is likely to be a bit big for most users, so it would make sense for Huawei to support a mainstream device with 5G.
Most promisingly on that front, the company has said that’s it’s considering adding 5G to the Huawei Mate 30 range (landing in the second half of 2019).
Samsung
As well as the Galaxy S10 5G we unsurprisingly will probably get a Samsung Galaxy Note 10 5G alongside the standard phablet, when it launches on August 7th.
As well as being an obvious thing for Samsung to launch, it has specifically been mentioned by Verizon, which is likely to know about such things in advance.
Spec rumours point to a massive screen of up to 6.8 inches, up to 12GB of RAM, a top-end chipset, and a quad-lens camera.
Alongside this Samsung is also rumoured to be working on a more affordable 5G phone dubbed the Samsung Galaxy A90 5G. This is also likely to land soon.
Black Shark
Black Shark (the gaming-phone brand from Xiaomi) has confirmed that it is also launching a 5G phone soon – probably this year.
They haven’t said anything about the handset yet, but being a gaming phone it’s sure to have lots of power and a great screen.
The company has also announced plans to launch a 5G phone under its Redmi brand. This will probably be relatively affordable.
Motorola
Motorola is also worth a mention here, as the company also has a 5G Moto Mod, which can add 5G to its Moto Z3 and Moto Z4 handsets. So they’re not proper 5G phones (and neither they nor the mod are available in the UK), but they show the company is interested in the tech, so we wouldn’t be surprised if we see a true 5G handset from it before too long.
