Glossary
5G
The fifth-generation cellular standard, offering higher peak speeds (1–10 Gbps theoretical), lower latency, and greater capacity than 4G LTE. Operates in sub-6 GHz (range) and mmWave (capacity) bands.
5G is the cellular generation that succeeded 4G LTE. Three frequency tiers:
- Low-band (600–900 MHz) — long range, modest speeds (~100 Mbps).
- Mid-band (1–6 GHz) — the sweet spot, 200–900 Mbps in real-world tests.
- mmWave (24–40 GHz) — gigabit speeds but tiny coverage area; uncommon outside dense urban deployments.
Real-world experience
Mid-band 5G is where most users see the upgrade — 3–10× faster than 4G in good conditions, with ~30 ms latency vs 4G's ~50 ms.
What "5G" on a phone means
A phone marked "5G" supports sub-6 GHz at minimum. mmWave is a separate spec, often called "5G UW" or "5G+" depending on carrier. If you're not in a dense city, mmWave compatibility is a marketing checkbox you won't use.
Where this matters
Categories that use 5g
See it compared
5G on real comparisons
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