$629 at Best Buy
$270 at OnePlus
$365 at Amazon
$429 at Apple
$600 at OnePlus
Nearly every phone from Apple, Samsung and Google, including the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, Galaxy S23 and Pixel 7 lineup, is 5G-ready. That means these smartphones come equipped to deliver the fastest possible data speeds across your wireless network. And while they tend to be pricey, there are plenty of affordable 5G options like the Google Pixel 6A and Apple’s cheapest, the 2022 iPhone SE. Rest assured, you should be able to find a good 5G-ready phone at a price you’re comfortable with.
Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max bring a variety of changes, including a new customizable Action button, powerful camera upgrades, thinner bezels, a lightweight titanium design and the new A17 Pro processor. All these upgrades come together to make for an experience that feels fresh and fast compared with older generations.
OnePlus Nord N30 5G and its 50W charger.
The Pixel 6A may be more than a year old, but its often discounted price still makes it a tempting choice for Pixel fans on a budget. CNET’s Lisa Eadicicco called it the “best Android phone under $500” in her initial Pixel 6A review in 2022, calling out how it keeps the same Tensor chip seen in the higher-end Pixel 6 and many of its features.
The iPhone SE may be the cheapest phone Apple produces, but it still comes with superfast 5G. While it lacks the camera prowess of the much more expensive iPhone 13 Pro, it runs the latest iOS 15 software and uses the same processor found in the higher-end models, making it a great phone for everyday use and light gaming. Read our iPhone SE (2022) review.
The $700 OnePlus 11 is a powerful phone that’s well equipped to handle gaming, video streaming and other common tasks. In typical OnePlus fashion, this phone is also cheaper than the Galaxy S23 and Pixel 7 Pro. The cameras aren’t the best, but they’re fine for casual photographers that just want to capture their next vacation or a night out.
Emergency SOS might be one of the most important features to come out on any phone this year.
We examine every aspect of a phone during testing:
- Display
- Design and feel
- Processor performance
- Battery life
- Camera quality
- Features
We test all of a phone’s cameras (both front and back) in a variety of conditions: from outdoors under sunlight to dimmer indoor locales and night time scenes (for any available night modes). We also compare our findings against similarly priced models. We have a series of real world battery tests to see how long a phone lasts under everyday use.
We take into account additional phone features like 5G, fingerprint and face readers, styluses, fast charging, foldable displays and other useful extras. And we, of course, weigh all of our experiences and testing against the price so you know whether a phone represents good value or not.
Read more: How we test phones
Consider last year’s models: They can often be a great deal, too. Many companies keep previous generation models of their phones around at a lower price.
Try it out before you buy it: The best way to know if you like a phone is to actually go to a store and try it out.
Prioritize which features are the most important: Do you want a large screen? Are cameras the most important feature for you? What about battery life? Narrow down your choices. This will save you time and money.
Don’t discount affordable phones: You can get a great phone that does almost everything that a flagship can do for a fraction of the price.
Save with sales: Companies and retailers usually roll out deep discounts around major holidays, especially Amazon’s Prime Day and Black Friday.
Technically, no. A smartphone’s cellular connectivity doesn’t really determine whether a phone is better than another. Having 5G support on a phone does help future-proof it as carriers continue to roll out and upgrade their towers to 5G. Since the majority of phones now come with 5G support, there really isn’t a way to compare them to 4G ones. For example, the iPhone 14 Pro supports 4G and 5G. There isn’t a 4G-only version in the US.
Article source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/best-5g-phones/#ftag=CADe34d7bf