What difference does 5G/5G+ make for every day phone use?

[MTess]

Hi there, 

With all the hype around 5G/5G+, I'm wondering what it's good for? I have 3G and am completely happy with my phone. 

What is the difference? When is 5G actually beneficial? Is it only for certain (new) phones? Can new phones even run on 3G? 

Needless to say, I am not tech savvy. 😅

[MTess]

This is what frustrates me. I don't need 5G and I'm going to be forced to pay for it.... ugh. Thanks for your response. 

[MTess]

I'm using a Samsung A31. I'm not sure if my phone is 3G or not but my plan is 3G. 

[MTess]

Thank you for this explanation. I'm frustrated by this constant "up-teching" of phones as I don't want more improvements and am frustrated with having to pay for them and then not use them. I use a Samsung A31 and am quite happy with it, except that some apps no longer work on it.

[I know I sound like an old geezer/luddite, but enough with the constant mandatory upgrading - I don't want to be forced to support the destruction of the environment. Sorry if this is totally out of place. Just frustrated with illusions of endless growth]

[will13am]

@MTess , different users have different needs for their cell plan.  If a 3G phone satisfies your needs then it's appropriate for you.  Be wary that 3G network shutdown in Canada is slated for year end 2025 with rumors of an accelerated schedule at one of the competing brands. 

[Meow]

Just Internet speed. It does not matter for calls/sms; only if you are watching movies and playing games.

[umnikke8 · Accepted solution]

Today 5G probably doesn't make much difference, you might get higher speeds some places (if it's not capped, which everyone is these days) and lower speeds other places than 4G. You'll probably use more battery life on 5G. Eventually in the long run, 5G will be slightly faster (with speed caps you may not even get any improvement) and slightly more efficient than 4G. For most people I think 4G is more than sufficient, it's plenty fast enough. It's smaller incremental gains now.

[eddieO]

@MTess, in the US 3G is no longer available, they only have 4G and 5G (T-Mobile still has 2G but it's deathly slow), so if you have an older device that only runs on 3G you won't have much success there with the new US plans or a US roaming add-on. I mention the US because it would not be a surprise if Canada follows that path. 4G is an incredible improvement over 3G, you can stream video, music, browse websites etc. I'm on the 5G Canada/US plan and honestly do not notice any speed difference in real world application vs 4G

[Handy1]

@MTess  Difference is speed with 5G lucky to get 200mbs most days with 5G+ im Lucky to get 750mbs 

[hTideGnow]

hi @MTess 

what phone do you have?

you have a 3G phone or 3G plan?

In PM, 3G plan is just 3G speed plan. What it means is that you can use the PM 3G, 4G and 5G network but speed will be capped  at 3Mbps when you use the 4G or 5G network with a 3G speed plan

generally speaking, 5G is faster, but it depends on personal use.  For web browser and email 3G plan with 3Mbps is more than enough.  If you watch streaming or games, then 4G or 5G plans would help