For anyone looking to immediately pick up a 5G-enabled smartphone, and especially the AT&T service to go with it, there's no real rush to be an early adopter. What's more, there's no concrete benefits to getting a 5G device for use with major wireless providers at the moment. As it turns out, 5G isn't everything it's cracked up to be, especially when compared to 4G for the time being.
AT&T's 5G coverage is available in new markets as of July 2020. Anyone looking to join the network has likely been keeping an eye out for the perfect 5G-enabled device to go with their new contract. The 5G connectivity AT&T is offering extends to smartphones, smartwatches, and vehicles. As of August 7, 5G was added to the AT&T Unlimited Starter plan, with no additional fees for anyone already on the Elite and Extra plans through the service.
But while AT&T is offering ubiquitous service for those with 5G devices, it was hardly the winner across PCMag's tests. In fact, Verizon was the overall winner, besting AT&T and T-Mobile in terms of maximum speed in 13 of the 26 cities tested. AT&T did nab 12 of the superlatives, but T-Mobile only took home one. However, the findings reflect a truth that many may not realize about 5G: it's not as quick as 4G in many situations or locations at the moment, contrary to popular belief. While all three carriers tested proved higher download speeds and reliability than in 2019, they're mostly due to improvements across 4G networks and not actually 5G.
Don't Rush To Adopt 5G From AT&T Just Yet
According to PCMag's results, AT&T's 5G is currently "essentially worthless," as it utilizes 850MHz cellular bands and uses it for 5G to offer the badge for phones capable of running on the network without any actual improvement. In fact, as these tests point out, performance ends up hindered instead, with 5G connectivity slower than 4G phones in nearly all 22 cities testers visited. What's more, testers weren't able to find the faster 5G+ available in 35 cities, despite being near locations it's been tested in before.
When it comes to 5G adoption, it appears that jumping on board the AT&T bandwagon isn't currently the most prudent idea. For anyone who desires to try the service, it might be good to wait for a bit, or try Verizon with a compatible phone in the near future. Currently, at least according to the extensive testing PCMag performed, users should hold off until connectivity can support the phones required to access the 5G network.
Source: PCMag