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Ask HN: Why would I want 5G on my smartphone?
I consistently get 70Mbps on speedtests using 4G from my discount telecom provider ($12/mo in the Netherlands).
How would normal people benefit from 5G speeds on smartphones? I understand that sometimes you have to enable the technology before you can predict what interesting usecases come from it. I am genuinely curious and welcome your thoughts.
- CameronNemo 6y agoCorollary: why would I want to avoid 5G on a smartphone (e.g. given identical phones at the same price, with 4G vs 5G modems).
- hojjat12000 6y agoBattery use maybe? Worse connection through walls? More anthenas should be installed to create better coverage? I know these are not great argument against it, especially because any 5G phone also supports 4G.I can't think of any reason not to want it.
- i_see_things 6y ago> why would I want to avoid 5G on a smartphone https://www.globalresearch.ca/5g-danger-13-reasons-5g-wireless-technology-will-be-a-catastrophe-for-humanity/5680503 https://www.globalresearch.ca/5g-danger-13-reasons-5g-wirele...
- nickthemagicman 6y agoIf data costs went down you could get 4k videos.
- dairylee 6y agoAre phone screens large enough to be able to distinguish between 720p/1080p/4k etc.?
- achairapart 6y agoAren't the op's 70Mbps from 4G already plenty for 4k?
- nickthemagicman 6y agoI was being a little facetious. My Well maybe 8k then or less buffering? I just want data costs to come down.
- sigmaprimus 6y agoThis sounds very similar to "Why would anyone need more than 640K?" It's not just about speed, a 5G network supports a greater density of devices compared to a 4G one. 4G can support about 4,000 devices per square kilometer, whereas 5G will support around one million. 5G will be able to connect the plethora of next gen IOT devices coming to a store near You! Just imagine smart shopping carts that will finally enable the homeless to have connected homes too! How about smart protestor signs that will automatically change to display what ever SJW message the technocracy wants to get out in real time. There are so many wonderful things that "Harder, Better Faster" connectivity will bring us all...Queue Daft Punk background music!!
- phillipseamore 6y agoBiggest noticeable difference is that latency is about half that of 4G.
- Dicey84 6y ago5G offers me around 500Mbps on my mobile and my home broadband peaks around 50Mbps (subpar Australian NBN). The 5G mobile gets used quite often as a hotspot when I need to download large files quickly.
- achairapart 6y agoI don't know. Personally, on my smartphone I never felt to need more than those ~7/8Mbps that 3G already had to offer.
- retrocomputing 6y agoNetherlands here. I don't use mobile internet, so no difference for me. You can use it on IoT, maybe there's some gain in that area. The near future will have many more devices connected to the internet, consider "smart phones", "smart watches" and all the other toys.
- aminozuur 6y agoCould you share some usecases whereby normal people could benefit from internet-enabled devices utilizing 5G, that wasn't possible on 4G?
- elthor89 6y agoMy first thought was “why not?” I think on mobile 5g might be not as revolutionary as 3g was back then. It won’t hurt either, faster download speed , same price I am okay with that. I know your question was 5g on smartphones but I think it has even more potential in other areas. Remote surgery or closer to home think about Drenthe, Groningen or cities like Amsterdam where optical fiber rollout has been slow (kpn). 5g is potentially fast enough to replace your vdsl or cable from ziggo and be used as a main internet line.
- randyrand 6y agoAt a busy park, festival, stadium, or emergency shelter you'll still be able to communicate.
- op03 6y agoI need it for my headjack - https://matrix.fandom.com/wiki/Headjack https://matrix.fandom.com/wiki/Headjack