Buying Guide: The Best 5G Phones for 2023 in the UAE and Saudi Arabia
SIn this roundup, we've picked our favorite 5G phones. Generally, you should expect to get 5G with any new flagship or near-flagship phone you buy, but the ones here are the cream of the crop. Read on for our top picks, followed by everything you need to know about buying a 5G phone.
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + High-quality hardware | - Pricey |
| + Always-on display includes widgets | - Dated design and Lightning connector |
| + Top-notch cameras | |
| + Stellar wireless performance |
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
Why We Picked It
This top-end iPhone offers a larger screen and better cameras than the base model. 5G, meanwhile, lets you upload photos and videos at several times the speed of 4G if you're in the right location. iOS is also an ideal platform for professional content creators because it has the best third-party camera software, the best photo and video editing software, and often gets updates to social networking apps before Android.
Who It's For
The 14 Pro Max is best for people who intend to take a lot of photos or videos with their phones, and edit their creations directly on their devices. Its super-long battery life—the longest we've ever seen on an iPhone—also means you can keep recording for long periods.
Google Pixel 7
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Fantastic value | - No telephoto camera |
| + Incredible cameras | |
| + Excellent performance | |
| + Great-looking display | |
| + Smooth Android 13 experience |
Google Pixel 7
Why We Picked It
The Google Pixel 7 has good 5G reception, but it's not the best in class. Google's Pixel software is simply faster and smoother than any other variant of Android. The phone boasts a terrific AI-powered camera stack, too.
Who It's For
This is for people who want software elegance and a responsive, high-quality camera. The pricier Pixel 7 Pro features better cameras, a larger screen, and more RAM, but its 5G performance is the same.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Large, bright display | - Expensive |
| + Speedy performance | - Big, heavy build |
| + Excellent cameras | |
| + S Pen integration | |
| + Solid battery life | |
| + Durable hardware | |
| + Strong software update commitment |
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Why We Picked It
The Galaxy S23 Ultra offers incredible 5G performance across all the major carriers' most important bands. Other standout features include a 10x optical zoom camera (which goes to 100x with digital zoom), a built-in S Pen stylus, excellent battery life, and class-leading performance.
Who It's For
If you need a super-zoom camera or like the idea of the S Pen for drawing or taking notes, the S23 Ultra is the phone to get from Samsung's current lineup. Its excellent 5G performance means you can get a signal wherever you travel, while its large screen should appeal if you enjoy watching movies on your phone. Just remember that you can save some money with the similar S23+ if you don't mind giving up the S Pen and zoom power.
Apple iPhone 14
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Solid performance | - Not that different from the iPhone 13 |
| + Capable cameras | - Dated design and Lightning connector |
| + Helpful emergency features |
Apple iPhone 14
Why We Picked It
The iPhone 14 strikes an excellent balance between size, price, and power. It offers similar 5G signal strength to the iPhone 13 but much better battery life, so you no longer have to deal with that "turn 5G off to save battery" silliness.
Who It's For
This is the iPhone the vast majority of people should buy. It offers the right performance at the right price.
Apple iPhone 13 mini
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Most powerful small smartphone | - Shortest battery life of iPhone 13 family |
| + Beautiful build | |
| + Better battery life than iPhone 12 mini |
Apple iPhone 13 mini
Why We Picked It
The iPhone 13 mini's improved modem and tweaked power efficiency mean that it gets decent battery life while maintaining good 5G performance. Moreover, it has better reception and speeds than the cheaper iPhone SE. So although this is a small 5G iPhone, it's still fully functional.
Who It's For
People with small hands or pockets, as well as anyone who doesn't want to get sucked into their phone like it's a giant glass portal into the abyss.
OnePlus 11 5G
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Vibrant display | - No wireless charging |
| + Strong processor performance | - Camera has white balance issues |
| + Rapid charging | |
| + Good connectivity options |
OnePlus 11 5G
Why We Picked It
When it comes to packing features and specs into a phone without being too expensive, no one beats OnePlus. The company outdid itself with the OnePlus 11 5G, which offers tons of power for a reasonable price. On top of that, it has excellent 5G reception.
Who It's For
If you're looking for a flagship with the latest and greatest specs, but don't want to spend more than $800, the OnePlus 11 5G is worth checking out. The biggest downside is the merely average camera system.
Samsung Galaxy S23
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Pocket-friendly size | - Slower charging than S23+ and S23 Ultra |
| + Strong performance | - No ultra-wideband support |
| + Good battery life | |
| + Respectable cameras | |
| + Reasonable price |
Samsung Galaxy S23
Why We Picked It
You don't have many choices for small, premium Android phones. The Galaxy S23 isn't actually a small phone, but it's as small as you can get and still enjoy class-leading performance. Its excellent 5G reception is similar to its larger stablemates.
Who It's For
If you want a smaller Android phone, but don't want to compromise on speed or the quality of your 5G reception, get the Galaxy S23.
Samsung Galaxy S23+
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Excellent performance | - Lower res than the Galaxy S23 Ultra |
| + Big, vibrant display | - No S Pen |
| + Fantastic cameras | - Expensive |
| + Impressive battery life | |
| + Industry-leading software upgrade policy |
Samsung Galaxy S23+
Why We Picked It
First and foremost, the Galaxy S23+ performs very well in low-signal 4G and 5G areas. That quality, in addition to its vibrant display, strong battery life, and top-notch performance, are what make it the best Android flagship for most people.
Who It's For
The crowd-pleasing Galaxy S23+ has all the 5G bands you need on every carrier, doesn't cost as much as the S23 Ultra, and is more mainstream than the OnePlus 11 5G. It's the uncomplicated answer we give when someone says, "I need a phone with good cellular reception."
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Beautiful screen | - So-so performance all around |
| + Versatile cameras | - No support for wireless charging |
| + Long battery life |
Samsung Galaxy A53 5G
Why We Picked It
The Galaxy A53 is a perfectly serviceable midrange phone that often sees discounts. The more important note is that its 5G signal strength performance was a bit better than that of the Google Pixel 6a in testing. It also has both sub-6 and millimeter-wave 5G, everything all the US carriers have to offer. We prefer the Pixel 6a for other reasons, but this phone is better in terms of 5G.
Who It's For
The Galaxy A53 is the phone to buy for people who really want a Galaxy S23+, but can't afford one.
Do You Need a 5G Phone in 2023?
The 5G situation in the US is confusing right now, but there's one way to understand things clearly. For 5G to be much faster than 4G, it needs to run on wider channels. Think of them as broader lanes on the information superhighway.
Even without those channels, 5G still helps carriers by increasing their capacity to serve more users with bigger service plans. But if you want performance, you need those wider channels.
High-band 5G can often show speeds over 2Gbps
Right now, of the heavily promoted forms of US 5G, T-Mobile's mid-band "UC" network, Verizon's "UW" mid- and high-band network, and AT&T's "5G+" offer those wider channels. The other forms of 5G in the US are reusing 4G channel sizes, which give them 4G-like performance. In our 2022 drive tests, we found the mid-band networks to be considerably faster than 4G, and available across quite a lot of the country. T-Mobile leads in terms of availability, but Verizon and AT&T are catching up.
In general, if you see just "5G" on your phone in the US, it's going to feel like 4G. If you see "5G UC," "5G UW" or "5G+," you should experience better speeds.
Expect to see better mid-band coverage on AT&T and Verizon as they roll out C-band and 3.45GHz. Of course, your phone also needs to support C-band for you to see a benefit, a spec we cover in our in-depth reviews of each handset on this list.
All the phones Verizon sells support its high-band network, but not all unlocked 5G phones do. If you're looking for an unlocked 5G phone that supports all the bands, consider the Google Pixel line, the latest iPhone, or the Samsung Galaxy S and Z families.
If you're with T-Mobile, almost any current phone supports its 5G network.
Between T-Mobile's 5G expansion and the rollout of C-band coverage on AT&T and Verizon, the situation is changing quickly. Make sure to check back often for all the details on the phones that can take advantage of these advancements.