In the event you Purchase a iPhone 12 or Samsung Note 20 Should you Don't Need 5G Technology?

In the past few months, Apple and Samsung have released their flagship phones – the iPhone 12 and Galaxy Note 20 – which are equipped with 5G, promising faster download speeds and lower latency when used with 5G mobile carriers. Going for a leap into 5G could be expensive, using the cheapest Apple iPhone 12 Mini starting at $1149 and the Samsung Note 20 starting from $1398 with 5G.

With their high starting prices, is it worth to purchase the iPhone 12 or the Samsung Note 20 Ultra right now? In this article, we will discuss if you should purchase the Samsung Note 20 or iPhone 12 if you do not need the core selling point of those phones – the 5G technology.

#1 5G may be the Future of Mobile Networks

During the discharge of the iPhone 12 and the Samsung Note 20, both companies placed heavy emphasis on the 5G capabilities of these smartphones. Buying the iPhone 12 and also the Samsung Note 20 with 5G connectivity implies that you will be among the first in Singapore to savor ultra-fast mobile speeds. Along with downloading a movie in less than 30 seconds on your phone, you can enjoy video calls on the go with reduced lag time on your iPhone 12 and Samsung Note 20 Ultra.

As 5G technology becomes mainstream, your iPhone 12 and Samsung Note 20 that are already 5G-capable will stay usable. Meanwhile, others using phones that are not 5G-capable may find themselves needing to seek out upgrading options.

#2 The iPhone 12 and also the Samsung Note 20 Ultra Has the Latest Features

Both the iPhone 12 and Samsung Note 20 comes with the latest features such as newer cameras and smartphone chips.

The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max are the first to feature Dolby Vision recording and feature a LiDAR Sensor, meaning you will be able to record videos with 60 times more colours and take 87% better photos in low light conditions. With the new A14 chips which is the first 5-nanometre chip in the market, Apple promises as much as 50% faster CPU and GPU performance than every other smartphone chips.

Similarly, the specifications found on the Samsung Note 20 Ultra aren't any slouch too, featuring Laser Autofocus technology for faster and much more accurate focus when using the camera. Designed with 12GB of RAM, the Samsung Note 20 Ultra features the biggest RAM size on the market on a smartphone, which makes it one of the most powerful and capable Android smartphones. In comparison, most smartphones include 8GB of RAM on average.

At time of writing, these to are two of the very most powerful offerings on the market, that will stay capable for the following couple of years. Other phone users may find themselves seeking to upgrade their phones near now as their devices become obsolete.

#3 Extra Cost For 5G Does Not Guarantee Full Services

Most mobile providers require to pay for one more cost for access to 5G networks, which starts from one more $10 monthly on top of your regular mobile subscription. Yet, with that extra cost, you may not have the ability to benefit from the full services of 5G should you obtain the iPhone 12 or Samsung Note 20 Ultra now. Based on IMDA guidelines, full 5G speeds and coverage are only available when 5G standalone (SA) is deployed by 2025.

Before then, 5G depends on the non-standalone (NSA) format which fits around the existing 4G antennas, resulting in smaller coverage areas across the island. For the time being, you will only be connected to 5G when you're outdoors, and you are not able to utilise the cheapest possible latency standards of 5G. When your location isn't equipped with 5G, subscribers will be connected to 4G networks automatically. Among the list of non-coverage areas are a few popular spots for example Novena, Marina Parade and one-north.

If you wish to get experience 5G (albeit partially due to the incomplete deployment), you'll have to choose from the 3 major mobile carriers in Singapore. Other mobile providers for example Circles.Life and GOMO are unfortunately still not onboard with 5G technology. While there are plans for Circles.Life to deliver 5G to the consumers by 2021, there is no confirmed launch date published at time of writing.

#4 Limited Improvement Using their Immediate Predecessor

While it is a fact the iPhone 12 and Samsung Note 20 has the best specifications you are able to currently get, you won't end up with noticeable improvements if you compare it using their immediate predecessors, once you remove the 5G technology.

In the case of the Samsung Note 20 Ultra, the direct predecessor may be the Samsung Note 10+. When it comes to performance and benchmark, the improvements during these phones are marginal. While you will find improvements to minor details for example its stylus features, the improvements do not justify getting upgrading from to the direct successor.

Similarly for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the only major upgrade in the iPhone 11 Pro Max is the addition of the LiDAR sensor. The processor found on the newest iPhone 12 Pro Max doesn't provide massive improvements but rather, marginal ones.

With such marginal improvements on devices from its predecessor, it might make cheaper sense to buy the prior iPhones 11 Pro Max or the Samsung Note 10+, which currently retails at $1651 and $1398 respectively for that 256GB models. Comparing that to the price of the latest offerings, that would add up to savings of $318 and $300 respectively.

5G isn't the Sole Motivating Factor When Considering the New Phone Upgrades

There are many features apart from the 5G support which may keep you motivated to obtain top-of-the-line phones even though you have no intentions to make use of 5G for the moment.

Both the iPhone 12 Max and also the Note 20 Ultra features industry-leading features for example advanced camera sensors and processing power that will stay powerful for many years. If you are currently using an older, less powerful phone, it might seem sensible to upgrade either to one of these devices that are less likely to see a stop by performance soon. Additionally, as 5G becomes a norm in Singapore, you can transition immediately without buying a new phone. In contrast, if you own a recent phone such as the last generation iPhones or Samsung Note, it may make sense to wait for the next iteration of smartphones.

If you don't plan to get a phone with 5G, you can look at options such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (LTE), Samsung Galaxy S20 (LTE) or the iPhone 11 Pro, costing $1,398, $998, and $1388 respectively. The specifications on these units continue to be relatively powerful to supply a smooth phone consumer experience for that near future.