5G, or “5th generation” is showing itself as the go to and most powerful network available for mobile devices. More and more flagship brands are building their devices compatible with 5G, with the iPhone 12 series and Samsung S21 series being built to effectively use it. But there are many things that you need to know for this generational network.

5G, simply means 5th generation. The next, and most recent, generation of mobile networking. Continuing on from 4G, like how 4G followed from 3G. Through each generation, the speed and features of the network are massively improved. 5G offers far more benefits compared to its predecessors, and so is an extremely efficient network.

5G is obviously far faster than 4G, offering download speeds around 100-200mbps. A great increase compared to 4G’s 36.4mbps. But there is much more than that. 5G has an extremely low latency, being capable of going as low as 1ms. Although it averages at around 21-26ms, this is still a massive improvement over the 4Gs 35-50ms. 5G, overall, has a massively increased speed and reliability compared to 4G. Allowing you to enjoy your favourite games, videos and more while also using the same amount of data.

As stated, there are quite a few mobile phones that are compatible with 5G. With Samsung and Apple being the main two companies to start manufacturing and shipping their phones with 5G. This includes the iPhone 12 series, including the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Max, and the Samsung S21 series, including the Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra. The OnePlus 8T and the new OnePlus 9, also allow you to use 5G. It is guaranteed that more upcoming devices and phones from different brands will use 5G, but this will occur over time.

At this time, four of the UK’s main mobile networks have launched services for 5G. This includes: EE, Three, Vodafone and O2. These services are available in many areas of the UK, but not everywhere. You can find 5G coverage in large areas, including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and other major cities. Although 5G coverage right now is a bit limited, UK networks are working to expand the coverage of this new network. It may take years to meet the coverage set for 4G.

It is good, and important, to know that 5G does now impose any health risks. Public Health England, or PHE for short, said that overall exposure is low (and expected to stay that way) and so there is no risk to public health. Investigations from Ofcom also determined that 5G and the exposure it has does not cause any harm, this was determined by a number of tests into electromagnetic fields.

There are some of the key pieces of information you may need about 5G. It is safe to say that the future of online networks is looking very good, with plenty of potential for it.