November 12, 2020

The Best 5G Ready Phones that aren't the iPhone 12

Say hello to some of the world's first 5G enabled phones.

The world is buzzing about 5G as this nascent technology captures the hearts and minds of thousands across the globe. There's plenty of talk about faster speeds, lower latency and the rise of new virtual experiences (including some claims of virtually communing with the dead 😂) but the truth is, access to these groundbreaking benefits hinges on having a 5G enabled phone.

It's expected that the world will have 1.8 Billion 5G connections by 2025 - that's 1200x the current population of China. Source

The team at Circles.Life is no stranger to 5G. We've written a Dummies Guide and even a little checklist to help you decide whether or not to invest in a 5G phone. As we continue working towards the launch of our own 5G services, we want to let as many people as possible experience this small piece of the future right here today!

That's why we've decided to expand our phone line up to include other 5G ready phones. Of course the iPhone 12 is the latest 5G phone to join the pack but it's far from the only one! Here's four other options you should definitely consider if you're looking for something affordable/aesthetic/novel:

Editors Note: Oh and if 5G isn't your thing, we've stocked up to 40 new phones that look great and work like a dream on our current 4G networks. From Huawei, Oppo and even the latest Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, you'll be spoilt for choice!

Looking to pick up a tablet? We got more of those too 👀 Click here to take a peek.

OnePlus 8T (5G)

Like the iPhone 12, the OnePlus 8T also has 3 cameras although their placed a little differently. Source

Released on 14 October, the OnePlus 8T might be the iPhone 12 substitute you're looking for. It keeps a lot of familiar features like the 128GB/256GB storage options and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 instead of Apple's new Ceramic Shield.

It also makes a couple of improvements like having a 120Hz refresh rate (the iPhone 12 Pro supports this feature but locks it at 60Hz 🤷‍♂️) which means more fluid scrolling and less screen tearing on your apps.

But where the OnePlus 8T really shines is its incredible battery life which clocks in at 104 hours thanks to it's 4500mAh battery. The iPhone 12 on the other hand only packs a 2,815mAh battery which lasts about only 13 hours for web browsing or video playback (heck even the iPhone 11 did slightly better).

Sure it doesn't have the same ultrafast A14 Bionic Chip or Night Mode cameras but the OnePlus 8T is a juggernaut of a 5G phone in its own right 💪.

Get it now from just $55/mo on Circles.Life.

Huawei P40 Pro

Sporting a suite of cameras that were codeveloped by German photography heavyweights Leica, the Huawei P40 Pro provides a premium photography experience that would give even Apple a run for their money.

The P40 pro comes with a similar 3 camera configuration on the back which includes a wide, ultra-wide and telephoto lens although it is worth noting the stark difference in quality between these cameras on the P40 Pro and those on the iPhone 12 Pro. The P4o sports a whopping 50MP resolution on all 3 cameras, dwarfing the 12MP cameras of the iPhone 12 Pro. Theoretically, this difference would prove that photos captured on Huawei's latest flagship phone would yield better picture quality overall - a hypothesis we aim to test in another unboxing video maybe? 😉

It comes in 4 fancy colours too - including it's own brand of Pacific Blue 👀 Source

The P40 Pro also supports all the bells and whistles you'd expect in a new phone. Apart from 5G it also had dual-SIM/eSIM support (you can switch to an eSIM for free if you're an existing Circles.Life customer) as well as expandable storage so you can download your 50GB Spotify library onto your phone if you so wish.

You can grab all variants of the Huawei P40 from just $62/mo on Circles.Life.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition

I mean they used a BTS song, so you know this phone gonna blow up like dynamite 🧨 Source

Samsung is just full of surprises this year. Not content with their stellar Note20 line-up, they unveiled the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition (FE) which delivers on all the features someone would want in a phone in 2o20 but still $400 cheaper than the original S20.

In case you skipped the bop of an intro video above, the S20 FE comes equipped with a whole host of features that appeal to nearly every demographic. If you like watching shows on a big screen without ugly notches, it comes with a 6.5-inch AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate.

Or maybe you're a shutterbug who wants to capture every minute of life on this earth through stirring still photos. The S20 FE has a trio of 32MP rear lenses that cover all your bases from wide, ultrawide and telephoto. Oh and it has Night Mode too so eat that iPhone 12! Two can play at this game 😉

I can get why they chose a racing game to showcase gaming on 5G cause in both scenarios, you wanna go FAST. Source

And of course there's something for the gaming fans. The 5G support on the S20 FE really means you get stronger, lag-free connections during matches so you're able to gank with success in ML/Wild Rift and download those horrendously large PUBG asset updates in seconds even if you're not on wifi.

There is a slight trade-off with a shorter battery life but that's a small price to pay considering the massive savings this phone brings along with classic features like fingerprint recognition that I sorely miss from the iPhone series.

Wear your fan badge with pride and get the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE from just $64/mo from Circles.Life.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip (5G)

Flip phones are back baby and I am SO here for it 🙌 Source

Not gonna lie, this is secretly my favourite phone on this list just for the nostalgia and novelty of having a modern flip phone. I still remember my old Motorola Razr fondly and the fact that this is a trend that's slowly coming back just fills me with delight.

There's been many attempts to get this new technology right, having a screen fold in half successfully is probably one of those perennial twenty first century problems since both halves of the phone are essentially connected by a thin hinge. Samsung actually came up with it's own Ultra-Thin Glass to make this work and while it might not offer the most protection it sure makes snapping open and close the Z Flip a breeze (and strangely satisfying). Android Authority gives its own stamp of approval saying it's "best hinge on a foldable phone right now".

It's also got a neat little front screen that shows you time and messages. Source

This phone does take a bit of a hit when it comes to the cameras though, packing in a 12MP wide and ultrawide camera. It is certainly the weakest in terms of camera quality of the phones we mentioned in this article, especially when it comes to capturing images in low light. But personally I find it's unique aesthetics alone to make up for this slight dip in photography.

Besides it supports literally everything else. From 5G to eSIMs and a decent 3300 mAh with fast charging options, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is my top choice when I want to get a phone that's guaranteed to turn a few heads.

What phone are you getting?

Stay whelmed my friends and take your time to browse all our options. Source

5G may be new but there already is a wealth of 5G phone options to choose from. I hope that this article has helped you introduce you to some of them and you can expect that this list will continue to grow in the coming years as 5G becomes more prevalent.

Do drop us a note at blog@circles.asia and share with us your thoughts on 5G and whether or not you'd like to see us test these phones in more unboxing videos.