ISSUE 64 • ANDROID ADVISOR 17REVIEWThese include music or video data passes that
allow you to stream from popular apps like Apple
Music, Deezer, Netflix or BT Sport without the usage
counting against your data plan. This is great as it’ll
go some way to slowing your data usage, but note
that the deals don’t include Spotify or YouTube.
You can also buy an unlocked Samsung Galaxy
S10 5G (a phone we have not yet tested) direct
from Samsung locked to either EE or Vodafone for
£1,099. At the time of writing, Vodafone is set to
launch its UK 5G network on 3 July, with Three to
follow suit in August.
Performance
First, a bit of context. Yes, 5G is fast. But it might
not be as big an evolution as 4G was to the regular
consumer. 4G represented a huge increase in mobile
data speeds over 3G, meaning reliable web browsing
and streaming was finally a viable consumer service.
5G isn’t just another speed bump. The use of
new mobile spectrum does make the network
faster but the overall changes to core network
structure will increase network capacity as well,
and should allow for more devices such as laptops
(using powerful mobile chips) to join the party. We
have cellular tablets, but they have not become as
popular as phones due to similarly priced contracts
and device size.
There’s also the distinct possibility that home
broadband could be replaced by a 5G setup in
the not too distant future, such are the gains in
bandwidth to outperform fibre optics.