Should you buy a 5G phone in India in 2020?

• Indian telecom companies have not begun 5G trials yet, but there are two 5G smartphones in the market already.
• Although more 5G smartphones are expected to launch in 2020, 5G adoption could be slow according to reports.
• 5G versions of smartphones also come at a premium, which could have a negative impact on 5G services which are expected to be rolled out this year.

The 5G hype is finally expected to materialize in 2020. Carriers around the world are starting to either launch 5G services or conduct trials and test their networks.

In India, the spectrum is not yet auctioned and the networks are far from being set-up. But smartphone makers have already jumped in the 5G race, anticipating networks to launch 5G services this year.

Earlier this week, two Chinese smartphone makers Realme and iQoo launched their 5G smartphones in India, expecting to make a big splash before Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus launch their own 5G devices.

But as an end user, should you buy a 5G phone in India in 2020? Considering the fact that the networks are at least a year away? We will try to answer that for you.

What is 5G?

5G is fifth-generation wireless network technology. Several carriers around the world have started deploying 5G services in 2019, and more are expected to join the list in 2020.

5G in India

In India, 5G is still a pipe dream. The debt-ridden carriers say 5G spectrum prices are too high, and they also suggest 5G won’t be a big money-maker, at least in the initial years.

A recent report suggests that by 2023, 5G will be used by only 5% users, while over 53% users will still use 4G. It means the most premium USP of the devices will remain dormant for a long time.

How will 5G services benefit me?

If you upgraded from 2G or 3G to 4G, you will have noticed a massive improvement in the speeds and the overall experience. That may not be the case when you upgrade from 4G to 5G, especially in a population-dense country like India.

5G is aimed at offering reliable, high-speed connection to smart devices, an ecosystem which is also known as ‘Internet of Things’. If you don’t have too many smart devices, and your primary use case is mobile data on a smartphone, you will find 5G to be less meaningful right now.

Should you buy a 5G phone in India in 2020?

The answer is no.

It does not make any sense to buy a 5G phone in India right now, especially if the 5G version of these phones cost more than the 4G versions – for example, the iQoo 3 4G version costs ₹36,990 whereas the 5G version costs ₹44,990. That is a premium of ₹8,000 for a technology that doesn’t exist yet in India.

It means that you would end up with a premium device with little sense of purpose.

See also:

India to have 966 million mobile users by 2023 but less than 5% will have 5G: report

Realme X50 Pro 5G, India’s first 5G phone launched starting at ₹37,999

Realme X50 Pro 5G vs iQoo 3: Which is the better 5G phone for you?