Very OT: 4G vs 5G vs who cares?

Stratman68

Axe-Master
So, not being a youngster or a smartphone mega user I have to wonder about 5G?
I am switching to infinity mobile and will need a new phone only because my LG6 is not acceptable to xfinity. But my monthly bill will go from $55.00 a month to $16.70-verified by xfinity-that's the 1GB plan and includes all fees and tax's. quite a difference. With Verizon I have the 2GB plan and have NEVER, EVER goteen near 1/2 GB.
So, 5G would seem heavy duty overkill for me. The phones cost 2 to 3X as much and most experts (I read) say even 4G will gain some speed. 4G is NOT going away (not for a while anyhow)
But what more speed do I need for phone calls and text-It's instantaneous NOW.
 
5G is great if you use a lot of data, but it also comes at the cost of shorter battery life in most phones. Estimates I've seen show that 5G uses around 20% more juice on average compared to 4G on some phones. Battery life is a much bigger concern of mine over internet speed. 4G is plenty fast for me when I need it for things like Google Maps, plus I have WiFi here at home and at work, so end up using little cell data each month anyway.
 
Thanks Guys! I am NOT an Iphone guy - don't ask please. So, I looked at a Samsung A51, $399. That's all I need. I'll save $40 a months so the phone will pay for itself in 10 months. Wish I could bring my phone. It's really all I need.
 
I don't think 5G necessarily means one uses more data - it's just faster access. In the longer term though, faster network speeds mean that websites become more complex and data intensive as they take advantage of the faster network speeds, but it takes a while to evolve.
 
I don't think 5G necessarily means one uses more data - it's just faster access. In the longer term though, faster network speeds mean that websites become more complex and data intensive as they take advantage of the faster network speeds, but it takes a while to evolve.
That's the thing-only phone calls and text I do NOT need it any faster. I know you are talking about data-I agree about that. But I don't use any-period.
 
SpaceX Starlink is going to obsolesce all of that terrestrial crap soon anyway.

You live on a remote island? :) Just be sure to clear a section of forest so your dish has nothing blocking its line of sight to a large section of the sky.
 
I don't think 5G necessarily means one uses more data - it's just faster access. In the longer term though, faster network speeds mean that websites become more complex and data intensive as they take advantage of the faster network speeds, but it takes a while to evolve.

Which is exactly why my computers, despite being infinitely more powerful then my first Win95 computer from 25 years ago, don't feel more powerful. Computers got more powerful, HDD's got bigger, but the OS and programs got more demanding and bigger as well, in a never ending arms race. I think that PC had a 5 gig HDD, which I partitioned into 3 sections, with one 1 gig partitioned used for audio use
 
Which is exactly why my computers, despite being infinitely more powerful then my first Win95 computer from 25 years ago, don't feel more powerful. Computers got more powerful, HDD's got bigger, but the OS and programs got more demanding and bigger as well, in a never ending arms race. I think that PC had a 5 gig HDD, which I partitioned into 3 sections, with one 1 gig partitioned used for audio use
Yup - and the big carriers know it - 5G will be a "nice to have but not needed" feature until the tech evolves to make it essential - and at a higher price of course lol!
 
I still use a flip phone. the number of g's don't mater much to me. why would you watch tv on a phone anyways. Or start your car.
I live in Phoenix.
When it's eleventy-eleven degrees (i.e., 121) out, remote start to get the a/c going before you get in the rolling furnace is nice....
 
That's the thing-only phone calls and text I do NOT need it any faster. I know you are talking about data-I agree about that. But I don't use any-period.
I am the opposite. The "dial a number and talk to someone" app in my Droid is nearly the least-used app in the device....
 
Lots of people use way more data than they have to - waiting till you get to wifi for pix and vids, turning off non-essential apps from using cell, and pre-downloading music can bring usage waay down to a trickle. without much effort.
 
Yeah, I listen to podcasts constantly in my car, but I just download those while I'm on WiFi at work or at home.
 
Lots of people use way more data than they have to - waiting till you get to wifi for pix and vids, turning off non-essential apps from using cell, and pre-downloading music can bring usage waay down to a trickle. without much effort.
Or you can be like me and many, many others. Use your phone like a, well, phone. Use your computers and tablets like computers and tablets. I guess it depends on the person. Same as anything else in the world we live in.
 
5 years or less and I mean smartphone, too. Cellular is now on the countdown to extinction if all data can flow with low latency and high data rates without worrying about line of sight.
First, the timeline is NOT written in stone. Guess you can predict when fossil fuel will go away?
You cannot because $$$$ controls everything and the transition away from 4G or 5G smartphones will be slow, not fast. Too much $$$ tied up.
Not trying to argue, just a fact that it's all about the $$$$. Cellular is a mega business, as you know. They will not die easily.
I agree they will go away. I just do not think it's just around the corner. Always a market for the folks who use their phones as phones.
 
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