Pros and Cons of upgrading to a 5G Phone

[DrMike]

Hi all,

I currently have a Galaxy S10+ and my device is now paid up. I want to call Rogers to see if I can get a new deal/discount on my plan as the loyalty discount has now expired with the contract. I do NOT need a new phone/upgrade but wonder if I might get a better overall deal by upgrading etc so I want to be prepared before I call 🙂

If I were to upgrade I'd go with a 5G phone (S21 line no doubt). So here are my main questions re an upgrade to a 5G phone:

1. According to Rogers own FAQs, the reality *today* is that 5G is equivalent to the fastest 4GLTE speeds. So I understand from that that the future developments are still to come and the real benefits of speed are still in that future. Is that right? How far into the future?

2. But my main question is this. EVEN if 5G has a lot more speed etc, my phone is used mainly at home and is almost always connected via WiFi, not my data plan. In fact I have a lot of smart lights, Google home hubs etc and to operate all of them via phone I need them all to be on the same WiFi network, so the prospect is I will keep my phone connected mostly, if not exclusively on WiFi. So will I see *ANY* benefit from having a 5G phone (at leat whn I am at home - which of course right now is all the time 😞 ? 

3. If I went ahead anyway, will the 5G in any way interfere with my home WiFi - I use Rogers Ignite WiFi modem and keep my 2.4 and 5GHZ bands separate (no band steering enabled).

I just want to make sure that I see some benefit from upgrading to 5G. Or at the very least, that I do not break stuff that already works just fine 🙂  Wil I regret the upgrade (aside from phone features themselves per se, of course - just from a 4G to 5G perspective)?

Thanks.

**Labels Added**

[RogersTony]

Hello, @DrMike

Thanks so much for posting your concerns to the community.

Getting a new device is definitely an exciting time, I will be happy to provide you with some additional insight to help with your decision.

1. It is true that the current iteration of 5G is not able to achieve the full theoretical speeds of 5G. We are in the process of rolling out the first 5G Standalone Core Network which will unlock the higher speeds possible with 5G. We do not have a specific timeframe for when this will be completed but the process has already begun.
2. With many of us at home, a vast majority of the time due to the pandemic I can see how it may not be beneficial to upgrade to a 5G device but with vaccine rollout increasing things may start to return to normal sooner, rather than later. You may find you will be using more data, especially once the warm weather arrives and people are spending more time outdoors. 
3. Using a 5G device will not affect the Wi-Fi connection inside of your home. Although 5G data and 5Ghz Wi-Fi bands have very similar names, the G in 5G data is related to it being the 5th generation of cellular technologies rather than a 5 GHz frequency.

I hope this helps you with your decision on whether or not to upgrade your device. 🙂

RogersTony

[DrMike]

@RogersTony wrote:

Hello, @DrMike

Thanks so much for posting your concerns to the community.

Getting a new device is definitely an exciting time, I will be happy to provide you with some additional insight to help with your decision.

1. It is true that the current iteration of 5G is not able to achieve the full theoretical speeds of 5G. We are in the process of rolling out the first 5G Standalone Core Network which will unlock the higher speeds possible with 5G. We do not have a specific timeframe for when this will be completed but the process has already begun.
2. With many of us at home, a vast majority of the time due to the pandemic I can see how it may not be beneficial to upgrade to a 5G device but with vaccine rollout increasing things may start to return to normal sooner, rather than later. You may find you will be using more data, especially once the warm weather arrives and people are spending more time outdoors. 
3. Using a 5G device will not affect the Wi-Fi connection inside of your home. Although 5G data and 5Ghz Wi-Fi have very similar names, the G in 5G data is related to it being the 5th generation of cellular technologies rather than a 5 GHz frequency.

I hope this helps you with your decision on whether or not to upgrade your device. 🙂

RogersTony

Thanks @RogersTony  Regarding point number 3, I wasn't at all confused about 5GHz vs 5G. What I was getting at is that *IF* all my home IoT devices need me to be connected to my home WiFi network anyway, then the only time I would use the 5G network capabilities of a new 5G-enabled phone is out of my home. And yes the pandemic creates an artificial situation, but as a retired senior, I am home more often than not even in the best of times... So really , for me, the benefits of 5G may be minimal if I am on WiFi at home most of the time regardless.

[GibMcFragger · Accepted solution]

5G is still in its infancy. That is to say that it will take years before the full benefits/speed are everywhere. At the moment, it's only advantage is lower latency and less network congestion. It's good, but don't let it be the main deciding factor when purchasing a new device in the near future.

That being said, all devices will be 5G going forward, as it's the "hot new thing" used as a selling point.

[AngryFruitSalad]

I have a note 20 ultra and have never been above 23Mbs on 5g; is it my phone or is rogers 5g just rubbish?

[GibMcFragger]

It depends where you are, but I generally average around 200Mbit down on Rogers 5G. It's about the same as LTE+ (with less latency).

[dmfan]

Something else to consider is that for the same model phone, the 5G version might give you better features such as better CPU, better screen refresh rate, etc.  Those were the reasons I chose the Pixel 4a 5G over the regular 4a.

Also, if getting a future proof device might be a good idea if you plan to keep your phone for a while.