5G is here to stay. Compared to just a year ago, the number of 5G phones available on the market have sky-rocketed, and if phone manufacturers want to stay competitive they’ll have to include 5G connectivity on their flagship devices.
You can see this across every major recent launch (except Apple’s) in the past few months including the Samsung Galaxy S20 phones, OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, and the Huawei P40 range.
5G promises up to 20 times the speed of regular 4G networks, which translates to 4K mobile streaming, faster video loading and smooth mobile gaming.
You would need a 5G SIM to use a 5G phone, so in most cases buying a 5G phone on contract may make more sense unless you prefer paying for the phone fully upfront and buying the SIM separately. Here we’ve gathered the best 5G phone contract deals in the UK
Keep in mind 5G phones operate with a separate 5G modem inside, which means 5G phones can handle 4G networks and below, but 4G phones cannot handle 5G networks. For more about 5G see our explainer What is 5G?
Where to find 5G phone deals in June 2020
You can find 5G phones from most major phone retailers and networks such as Three, EE, Vodafone, O2, Carphone Warehouse and Tesco Mobile.
There are several leading retailers offering flagship 5G phones including:
OnePlus 8 5G range
OnePlus announced its latest handsets, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro at its launch event on 14 April. The phones went on sale in the UK on 21 April, and in the US on 29 April. Prices start at £599/US$699. You can get trade in your old phone and get a discount phones – read more about it in our round up of the best OnePlus 8 offers.
You can also pick up a version of the OnePlus 8 with Amazon Alexa built in for £599. Compare other contract and SIM-free deals using our tool below:
OnePlus 8
OnePlus 8 Pro
Oppo Find X2 range
Oppo’s latest handsets launched in the UK on 27 May and go on sale 10 June but you can pre-order them now and get a free pair of Band & Olfuson headphones worth £350. – .The Find X2 range is available at different price points, though all four models are 5G-enabled: the Find X2 Pro costs £1099, the standard Find X2 costs £899, Neo £599 and Lite £399.
The standard Find X2 is available from O2. You can compare prices using our interactive tools below as more offers become available. In the meantime, see our dedicated best Find X2 deals round-up.
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Oppo Find X2 Neo
Oppo Find X2 Lite
Huawei P40 5G range
The latest 5G phones on the market are Huawei’s P40 phones, which include the P40, P40 Pro, and P40 Pro Plus, though the Pro Plus doesn’t go on sale until June. The phones start at £699 SIM-free.
We’re separately rounding up the best p40 deals here.
P40 deals
P40 Pro deals
Samsung Galaxy S20 5G range
The latest 5G phones to arrive are Samsung’s Galaxy S20 range, which launched on 11 February at the Galaxy Unpacked event. The devices start at £899 for the S20 5G, £999 for the S20 Plus, and at £1,199 for the S20 Ultra.
See where to pick up the S20 phones SIM-free at the best rate, plus other contract deals in our dedicated deals round up.
Right now you can get 4 months of YouTube premium for free from Samsung when you buy the S20 until 31 December 2020.
S20 5G deals
S20 Plus 5G deals
S20 Ultra 5G deals
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus 5G
In our Note 10 Plus 5G comparative review, we said it’s one of the best phones Samsung has ever made, but that 5G feature does make it expensive. The original RRPs place the phones at £1,099 for the 256GB option and £1,199 for the 512GB option. Samsung is currently running a promotion that cuts £100 off the asking price for both model.
Contract options are available via O2, Vodafone and EE.
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
If you don’t want to splurge on the S20 5G there’s the S10 of course (which received 4.5/5 stars in our review and a Tech Advisor Recommended badge).
You can buy the S10 5G from EE, O2 and Vodafone, all of which offer unlimited data plans.
Vodafone and EE deals on the 5G Galaxy S10 can also be found at Affordable Mobiles, Mobiles.co.uk, BuyMobiles.net and Phones.co.uk.
Samsung Galaxy A90 5G
The A90 may be Samsung’s mid-range 5G option, but it offers a premium Snapdragon 855 processor, a 6.7in AMOLED screen, a 48Mp main camera and a 4,500mAh battery. Here’s everything you need to know about the A90.
You can find the A90 5G SIM-free from a number of retailers including Carphone Warehouse, Argos, John Lewis (up to £300 cashback), Very, Littlewoods, Mobile Phones Direct, BT and Laptops Direct.
Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G
If you really want to go all out, you can pick up a folding phone with 5G connectivity. The Samsung Galaxy Fold went on sale in the UK on 18 September 2019 with a steep £1,900 RRP.
Not sure what to expect from a folding phone? See our hands-on review of the Galaxy Fold 5G.
Samsung also launched another second folding phone the Galaxy Z Flip at its Unpacked 2020 event, but this is 4G only.
SIM-free the Galaxy Fold is available from Amazon, Selfridges and of course Samsung directly. Contracts are available only from EE.
OnePlus 7 Pro 5G
The OnePlus 7 Pro is the best phone on the market until the OnePlus 8 (see why we gave it 5/5 stars and a ‘Tech Advisor Recommended’ badge in our review). The 5G version takes it a notch further by adding lightning fast connectivity.
The phone is available only via EE – see all plans here. You can use our price comparison tool below to browse the best rates. For all OnePlus 7, 7 Pro, 7 Pro 5G deals, see our dedicated article.
Huawei Mate 20 X 5G
The Mate 20 X 5G is available in the UK in Emerald Green, starting at £999 (see our review of the standard Mate 20 X).
You can pick it up on a 5G plan from O2 and Three. Sky Mobile is also offering the Mate 20 X 5G on contract, though 5G connectivity will go live later this year.
SIM-free you can pick up the Mate 20 X 5G with from Carphone Warehouse and Amazon , where it’s currently £579.99. Mobile Phones Direct also offers the Mate 20 X 5G SIM-free, though there currently aren’t any SIM-free discounts.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G
Though OnePlus may beg to differ, the first 5G phone to launch in the UK was the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G – and it’s also the cheapest 5G phone around. See our review where it received 4 stars out of 5 and a Tech Advisor Recommended badge.
You can pick one up on contract from Vodafone, O2, and Three.
Pick up the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G SIM-free from Geekbuying and Amazon (though stock may vary).
LG V50 ThinQ 5G
LG has its own 5G offering with the V50 ThinQ 5G which is the manufacturer’s first 5G phone. It’s available from EE starting at £79 per month with a £10 upfront cost for unlimited data.
You can browse other plans over at Buy Mobiles and Affordable Mobiles. See other plans below.
Oppo Reno 5G
The Oppo Reno 5G, which is essentially the Reno 10x Zoom but with 5G capabilities, is a mid-range option for 5G seekers and is available through O2.
You can find plans with no upfront cost from Buy Mobiles and Affordable Mobiles as well. Here’s everything you need to know about the Oppo Reno 5G.
When is Black Friday 2020 – should you wait for a better deal?
Black Friday will take place on Friday 27 November, immediately followed by Cyber Monday on 30 November. Traditionally the biggest sales event of the year, it may yet throw up some even greater tech deals – but with so much uncertainty around finance and retail, and no guarantees regarding what discounts we will see, we advise you not to wait: if you see a deal you like, on a product you need, and you can afford the outlay, buy it today.
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Author: Somrata Sarkar, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Previously a Tech Advisor Senior Staff Writer, Somrata researches and writes about the best tech deals to help readers make smart, informed buying decisions. She's an expert on accessories and also reviews laptops, phones, audio and other devices.