The next generation of mobile network promises a differentiated mobile broadband experience than the world has ever seen, and the world can’t just stop talking about this. This amazing mobile network generation means more power to our self-driving cars, remote protection for important public infrastructure, ground-breaking feats in medicine, more ways to share entertainment with loved ones, plus so many other capabilities that we probably may never find out in these early days of the 5G network.
Despite these promises of the 5G network, there are still not a lot of 5G phones on the market, and even the few available ones are out of the reach of the man on a budget. In fact, ‘cheap’ is one word that rarely appears alongside 5G phones.
So, how can a man on a budget start enjoying the offerings of this amazing network without breaking the bank? We have taken the pain out of this by compiling this list of affordable 5G phones available on the market or scheduled for release within this leap year.
Generally, these are not even close to the cheapest phones on the market, but for 5G phones, they are the least priced you can find right now or anytime soon.
10 cheap 5G phones to buy in 2020 are:
1. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G
The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G is a great phone and one of the cheapest 5G phone we could find currently in the market. It includes a battery boost, an all-screen display, dual front and rear cameras, a Snapdragon 855 chip-set and an ample 3,800mAh capacity battery.
2. Motorola Moto Z3 With 5G Moto Mod
A $349 5G Moto Mod transforms $469 Motorola Moto Z3 into one of the cheapest 5G phones currently in the market. This feature is, however, only available in the US, and on the Verizon network.
Though may not give you a ‘wow’ experience with its simple design, the Motorola Moto Z3 is a powerful phone at a bargain price.
3. Motorola Moto Z4 With 5G Moto Mod
Motorola again adds 5G support to another model in the Moto Z4 by combining with the Motorola Moto Mod. At $500, the Moto Z4 is a very affordable option in 5G phones.
Motorola added more Megapixels to the Moto Z3 camera, and longer battery life. The result is better picture quality, and a very impressive battery life in the Motorola Moto Z4.
4. Honor View 30 5G
The Honor View 30 5G phone was launched back in November 2019 at an event in Beijing. It features a punch hole cutout in its 6.57-inch display that houses a 32-megapixel selfie camera and a 8-megapixel wide angle camera.
The Honor View 30 5G uses a standard Kirin 990 plus a separate Barong 5000 5G modem for 5G connectivity. It started selling in China on December 2019 at a price range of around $469.
5. Honor View 30 Pro 5G
The Honor View Pro 5G was launched on the same date as the Honor View 30 5G by Honor, a Huawei sub-brand. Like the Honor View 30 5G, it features a punch hole cutout in its 6.57-inch display that houses a 32-megapixel selfie camera and a 8-megapixel wide angle camera. The Honor View 30 Pro 5G also has a triple rear-camera setup with a 40-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel super wide angle camera and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera.
For 5G connectivity, the Honor View 30 Pro 5G phone uses Huawei’s homegrown Kirin 990 5G chipset. It became available in China towards the end of 2019 at a starting price of $554.
6. Samsung Galaxy A90 5G
At $659, the Samsung Galaxy A90 is the most affordable 5G phone from the Korean brand. It features a 6.7-inch 1080 x 2400 screen, a triple-lens rear camera, a 4,500mAh battery, and high-end Qualcomm SM8150 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm) chip-set.
The Samsung Galaxy A90 is based on Android 9, and runs on a non-removable Li-Po 4500 mAh battery.
7.ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G
The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G phone is not yet available for purchase at the time of writing this post, but when it eventually becomes available, it is expected to be one of the cheapest 5G phones in the market. It is powered by high-end Snapdragon 865 chip-set with 6/12GB of RAM and 128/256GB of storage, and an in-screen fingerprint scanner. ZTE used fast LPDDR5 and UFS 3.0 chips respectively.
The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G main camera on the back features a 48MP sensor. This is joined by two other cameras in a 8MP telephoto lens and a 20MP ultrawide-angle lens.
8. Vivo iQOO Pro 5G
The Vivo iQOO Pro 5G features a 6.41-inch 1080 x 2340 screen, a Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, 8GB or 12GB of RAM, a triple-lens rear camera, and a 4,500mAh battery on top of its celebrated 5G capability. Price starts at around $400.
9. Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855+ Octa-core processor. The smartphone comes with a 6.39 inches Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen and 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution. The screen of the device is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6.
It also features a 48 MP (wide) + 12 MP (telephoto) 2x optical zoom + 16 MP (ultra-wide) lenses rear camera, and a 20 MP sensor front camera.
The Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro is available at $478.
10. TCL 10 5G
Set to officially launch at the Mobile World Congress close to the end of this month of February 2020, the TCL 10 5G promises alluring experience on a 5G network, unfortunately we can’t confirm that yet. And at a rumored price range of below $500, this might just be your most affordable route to the speed of the next generation mobile network.
The TCL 10 5G also features an upgraded AI engine, smoother gaming, and hyper-accurate GPS, and a NXTVISION 64MP AI quad-camera.