Best 5G phones 2021 | Android Central

Best
5G phones
Android Central
2021

Best 5G phone overall: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is the first proper flagship of 2021, and looking ahead, it’ll be mighty hard for any company to dethrone the S21 Ultra as one of the best Android phones of the entire year.

Samsung got so much right with this thing, and it all starts with the display. The S21 Ultra packs a massive 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel that can hit a max resolution of 3200×1440. Unlike last year’s S20 Ultra, you can run the display in that Quad HD setting with a 120Hz refresh rate enabled at the same time. This means the Galaxy S21 Ultra has one of the most stunning smartphone displays currently available.

The other big draw to the S21 Ultra is its camera system, featuring a 108MP primary sensor, 12MP ultra-wide one, and two 10MP telephoto cameras — one offering 3x optical zoom while the other gives you 10x zoom. With excellent detail, gorgeous colors, and jaw-dropping quality from those telephoto sensors, the Galaxy S21 Ultra proves that Samsung is still one of the best in the business when it comes to great camera packages.

As for the other specs, they’re just as impressive. The Snapdragon 888 and 12-16GB of RAM allows for amazing performance; the 5,000 mAh battery ensures you don’t have to live with battery anxiety, and you can even use the S Pen to turn the S21 Ultra into a makeshift Galaxy Note. As far as 5G is concerned, the Galaxy S21 Ultra supports Sub-6 and mmWave 5G.

The OnePlus 9 Pro is as impressive and well-designed as any high-end smartphone can be. If you know anything about OnePlus phones, you’ll be happy to know it doesn’t upend the traditional OnePlus formula. Instead, it extends it to its logical place in the world of 2021 flagships with more features and a higher price.

The hardware goes toe-to-toe with any phone out there, and it’s punctuated by the best display OnePlus has ever used. It’s bright, colorful, and has a 120Hz refresh rate. Inside, there are exceptional specs, which leads to amazing performance thanks to the super-smooth OxygenOS software — it’s just wonderful.

The 9 Pro also brings the best cameras yet to a OnePlus phone, with a new main sensor that steps up its game to a true flagship level, inspired by the company’s partnership with camera titan Hasselblad. The entire camera experience is a step behind the likes of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, but then again, it’s also less expensive. That’s really where the 9 Pro fits in. It’s a true flagship experience top to bottom, for just a bit less money than the traditional players with big brand names.

Thankfully, the OnePlus 9 Pro makes up for one of the 8 Pro’s biggest weaknesses, mmWave support. The 9 Pro has both Sub-6 and MMWave 5G connectivity, which will work on T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon.

There are many exciting options to choose from right now, but Samsung may have outshined all of them with the Galaxy S20 FE. Samsung offers all of the best features and specs from the Galaxy S20+ while finally providing a flat-screened device that users have wanted for some time. In a world where curved displays look good, they struggle with palm detection, ending up with more accidental touches than anything else.

Samsung also upped the ante by integrating the 120Hz refresh rate, so everything you do on the S20 FE looks smooth. Considering the price of the S20 FE, you figure that Samsung had to cut corners somewhere, and that’s where the plastic material comes in. But this can help alleviate the worry of cracking the back glass panel if accidentally dropped, along with providing six fun and different colors to choose from.

As for 5G connectivity, the Galaxy S20 FE features Sub-6 GHz for most users, but those who want to use 5G on Verizon will be a bit disappointed. Since Verizon relies on Ultra-Wideband (mmWave), the standard unlocked version found on Amazon or Best Buy won’t feature this. Instead, you’ll have to go to Verizon directly to get the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G UW model.

We’re also still scratching our heads as to why Samsung ships a 15W charger in the box. The Galaxy S20 FE can charge at speeds up to 25W, but you’ll have to come out of pocket for a compatible charger. The 1080p resolution on this 6.5-inch display may not look the greatest at all times, but the 120Hz refresh rate and improved battery life will make up for it.

With the OnePlus Nord N10 5G, OnePlus is looking to move beyond its traditional flagship killers and expand into the more affordable smartphone niche. While the N10 5G may not be a perfect device, it’s a seriously great value for anyone that wants a 5G phone while spending as little as possible.

Despite being so cheap, OnePlus managed to give the N10 5G fairly impressive specs. There’s a Snapdragon 690 processor paired with 6GB of RAM, allowing for solid performance for most tasks. That 690 also enables Sub-6 5G connectivity, though you won’t find mmWave support here. Other specs include 128GB of expandable storage, a 4,300 mAh battery, and even a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Picture quality from the N10 5G’s quad-camera system is about as average as it gets, and as far as the design is concerned, the cheap and glossy plastic won’t win a design award any time soon. That’s about it as far as cons go, and considering the Nord N10 5G’s $300 asking price, that’s mighty impressive.

If you like what you see with the OnePlus Nord N10 5G but have a bit more cash to spend, it might be worth considering the Pixel 5a with 5G. This might be one of the most overlooked smartphones of 2021, but as far as affordable 5G phones are concerned, it’s one of the best options.

Powering the Pixel 5a with 5G is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G and, in our testing, results in a genuinely excellent performance. It may not be on the same technical level as something like the 865+ or 888, but for the vast majority of people, it’s more than fast enough for virtually any task. You’re also getting 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a massive 4,680 mAh battery that is the largest ever on a Pixel phone.

A big draw to the Pixel 5a with 5G is its camera system, which is the exact same setup you’ll find on the more expensive Pixel 5. The 12.2MP primary camera and 16MP ultra-wide camera may not sound all that impressive on paper, but in actual use, this is a phone that churns out stunning photos every single time you press the shutter button.

As for the 5G situation, it’s a bit clunky. The unlocked variant of the Pixel 5a with 5G is limited to Sub-6 speeds, and there are no plans for a mmWave variant.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra is an incredible Android phone no matter how you slice it, but for some shoppers, it may be too much — whether it be the steep price tag or its gigantic size. Thankfully, we have the regular Galaxy S21 as a cheaper and smaller alternative.

While we don’t consider the Galaxy S21 to be the absolute smallest phone you can buy these days, it is refreshingly compact compared to many of its competitors. The 6.2-inch AMOLED display gives you a sizeable canvas for everything you want to do, and thanks to extremely small bezels and a lightweight plastic design, the S21 ends up being quite comfortable in day-to-day use.

At the heart of the S21 is the exact same Snapdragon 888 processor, and in addition to top-notch performance, you also get support for Sub-6 and mmWave 5G. You also get 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4,000 mAh battery that allows for good (but not great) battery life.

You could argue that the Galaxy S20 FE still offers the best bang-for-your-buck (especially when it’s on sale), but for shoppers that prefer a smaller phone and want the added speed + 5G support of the Snapdragon 888, the Galaxy S21 is a compelling purchase.

With LG exiting the smartphone market, your options for dual-screen phones are now limited to foldables. The foldable offering the most convenient form factor with 5G onboard is Samsung’s new Galaxy Z Flip 3.

At first, the Z Flip 3 may not look like a huge upgrade from the previous version, but it features incremental upgrades that dramatically improve its utility. For starters, its hinge, display, and outer glass have all been re-engineered to be more durable than ever, and it now sports IPX8 water resistance for the first time ever. Its external display is much larger and more usable, and it offers flagship-grade cameras and the top-of-the-line Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor.

On the 5G side, you get both Sub-6 and mmWave, so regardless of which network or carrier you use, you’re sure to get the best speeds available. One word of caution, though — this phone is a slippery little bugger. Do yourself a favor and pick up a great case before taking it out into the real world.

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