Do these OnePlus 7 Pro 5G download speeds justify its price difference?
Apple issued three phone models at once last year, Samsung followed suit with four, including a 5G version, and Huawei has three members of the new P30 family, while LG makes do with "just" two models as well.
The aforementioned OnePlus 7 Pro 5G will be exclusively sold by the EE carrier in the UK, and its 5G network rollout just went live yesterday, along with the phone. The prices for the OnePlus 7 Pro and its current versions are now as follows:
- 6GB RAM/128GB storage: $670 in US / £649 in the UK
- 8GB/256GB storage: $700 in US / £699 in the UK
- 12GB/256GB storage: $750 in US / £799 in the UK
- OnePlus 7 Pro 5G model: n/a in the US/~£999 in the UK, starting from £59/month with a 10GB 5G plan and £170 down payment
- Suggested OnePlus 7 Pro 5G plan: £69/month with a 30GB 5G plan and a £50 down payment
Compared to the other 5G pjhones on the network, like the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G or the LG V50, it's about 20% cheaper, and on par with the pricing of the other Chinese 5G juggernaut there, the Oppo Reno 5G.
While you can grab the 7 Pro 5G for about a grand ($1250) and bring it to the EE network, it won't be as optimized for 5G connectivity compared to the carrier model and that one isn't sold without a plan, so pick your poison. What kind of speeds do you get for this kind of dough?
Well, EE's 5G network is more extensive than Verizon's offering here in the US, as it covers the hot spots throughout London and other major UK cities and yet is far from comprehensive coverage. Besides London, the 5G lights will be turned on in Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Manchester this year, followed by Bristol, Coventry, Glasgow, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. EE 's goal is to have more than 1500 5G sites available by the end of the year.
People have been posting their 5G download speed results with the UK's first 5G handset that is commercially available to buy, and some have experienced peak speeds of just under a gig. Most have been reporting half that amount, with the average speeds being about 200Mbps and change.
This video provides a snapshot of @EE's #5G speeds around London with the #OnePlus7Pro 5G device which uses @Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor. Consistently getting 200Mbps to 400Mbps when in 5G coverage, peaking at around 700Mbps. pic.twitter.com/fqg3wXdiTV
— Ben Wood (@benwood) 30 май 2019 г.
That's still way faster than their average 4G LTE speeds, but let's not forget that their OnePlus 7 Pro has been the only 5G phone currently on the network at places, as there simply aren't other 5G phone out there. The phone switches in and out of the 5G network effortlessly, turning into a 4G LTE machine where the 5G blanket is not available.
Lots of #5G speed tests out there, but a real world application such as download a movie in highest quality brings @EE's #5G network to life. This demo shows @Qualcomm powered @OnePlus 6T vs @OnePlus 7 Pro 5G downloading a ~2GB #JohnWick movie on @Amazon Prime Video. #5GEEpic.twitter.com/182HfRPRqV
— Ben Wood (@benwood) 30 май 2019 г.
Users also didn't notice any significantly higher toll on battery life, which is an encouraging sign, as these early 5G phones don't have a true integrated chipset but rather tack on extra power-hungry modems to hook up to the nascent next-gen networks.
All in all, the speeds achieved with the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G in real life scenarios are commensurate with the peak speeds achieved on commercial 4G LTE networks, and the other advantages of 5G networks like low latency and less congestion aren't that visible for the average user.
This is why we wanted to ask you if you think that these peak and average download speeds that the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G managed to produce in the day since it was launched, are worth the difference in price with the regular 4G 7 Pro. What do you think?
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: