5G vs 4G. The fifth generation of mobile networking is here and getting more prominent by the day. Despite the continued pandemic and also the recent unsubstantiated rumors about the risks of 5G.
With the increase in remote working in 2020 and into 2021, the rollout of 5G network coverage may come faster than we’d anticipated as more activities move online. Read on this article to get the comparison between the 5G vs 4G networking.
5G vs 4G
Already, all three of the main service providers have unrolled their nationwide networks. And are set to expand and improve their 5G rollout over the next few years.
5G could eventually change the way we use technology. But is it really worth upgrading to a 5G phone? It’s time to search out what you would like to know about 5G technology and see if it’s really everything it’s cracked up to be.
5G vs 4G Speed
We’ve checked out how fast 5G is before, but there isn’t a particular network speed we can expect. Instead, consider 5G as offering a speed range. And also, the actual speeds you get will depend upon what wireless network you’re connecting to, how busy it is, what device you’re using, and a couple of other factors.
This table gives you a rough idea of the most speeds of every generation of cellular network technology and also the average speeds within the real world:
| Generation | 2G | 3G | 3G HSPA+ | 4G | 4G LTE-A | 5G |
| Max speed | 0.3Mbps | 7.2Mbps | 42Mbps | 150Mbps | 300Mbps-1Gbps | 1-10Gbps |
| Average speed | 0.1Mbps | 1.5Mbps | 5Mbps | 10Mbps | 15Mbps-50Mbps | 50Mbps and up |
Though, the average speed row above is more vital than the max speed column. Considering the fact that the peak speed is theoretical, and you might not hit the download speeds.
5G vs 4G LTE
The topic is additionally complicated by the range of various technologies that are used in each generation, geographical differences in coverage. And by the very fact that mobile technology continues to evolve and improve over time.
For instance, 4G has improved significantly over its lifetime with the development of LTE (Long-Term Evolution) then LTE-A (Long-Term Evolution Advanced).
Users can theoretically get up to 1Gbps with the newest 4G LTE-A developments. And this is within the range of what 5G delivers. The moderate speeds you get within the world will inevitably be much lower.
5G vs 4G Speed Test
To put that speed into some kind of context, 1Gbps (gigabits per second) is 1,000Mbps (megabits per second). Confusingly, megabits are different from megabytes. There are 8 megabits (Mb) in a megabyte (MB).
So, 1Gbps translates to 125MB per second. An MP3 file could be 5MB, while a TV episode could be 350MB, and a Blu-ray movie is going to be 15GB (15,000MB) or more.
If you truly have a 1Gbps connection, then you might potentially download a Full HD Blu-ray quality movie in two minutes. While 4G technology remains improving, what you get is, realistically, somewhere between 10Mbps and 50Mbps.
If we glance at Netflix’s recommendations for streaming speeds, it recommends 25Mbps for Ultra HD quality. Users simply need 5Mbps for HD. The aim with 5G is to hit 50Mbps as the average minimum.
However, currently, the minimum is quite a little bit lower, and also the average sits around 57Mbps, based on Speed check. It’s always nice to have faster speeds, but that’s not really the massive attraction with 5G. This is because 4G speeds are already pretty good. What 4G isn’t that great with is latency.
Network Latency
Network latency is the time required for data from your device to be uploaded and reach its target. This measures the time for your data to go from source to destination in milliseconds (ms).
It is important for applications like gaming since the response time can have an impact on the outcome. This could also prove important for self-driving cars if the data is being transmitted to the cloud.
With the current 4G networks, you are at an average latency of around 50ms. It could drop to 1ms with 5G technology. To give some context, it takes at least 10ms for an image seen by man eyes to be processed by the brain.
Low latency is important for real-time reactions in machines or cars, and lower latency can make cloud gaming possible. Gamers can play via their phones on remote hardware, as services just like Google’s Stadia and Blade Shadow. The average latency to be expected on 5G will be around 10ms.
5G vs 4G Frequency
It took years for the 4G Network to spread around the world, and there is still lot of rural area that still rely on 3G. Even at places where there is 4G, the speeds vary quite widely.
We expect the full release of 5G networks to take some time. But, all three major carriers have made some big advancement in 5G coverage over the past months.
