4G mobile phones are not going anywhere: Apple and Samsung keep updating, they are affordable and have reliable networks

Will 4G phones be eliminated soon like 2G phones, when they suddenly find that they cannot connect to the network one day? Or will they disappear completely in the context of the widespread popularity of 5G phones? The answer is no. Even mobile phone manufacturers will launch more attractive 4G versions of their flagship models to cater to users who cannot use 5G networks for various reasons. At the same time, the 4G network will not die quickly like the 2G network due to the pressure of clearing the frequency, and will continue to serve the public for a long time.

Top manufacturers keep updating

Recently, with the release of Samsung Galaxy Note20 series, smartphone manufacturers have also ushered in a wave of flagship model releases in the second half of the year. However, after the release of the jaw-droppingly priced 5G flagship model, Samsung has also confirmed that it will launch a 4G version of the Note20 series. Both Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will have LTE versions, but they will only come standard with 8GB RAM and will be cheaper than the 5G version, mainly targeting markets where 5G networks have not yet been deployed.

Previously, Samsung's Galaxy S20 series also supported 5G across the board, and launched 4G versions of models for some regions. Except for the different network support, the hardware specifications are basically the same as the 5G version. It uses the Exynos 990 processor and is priced relatively better than the 5G version.

As mid-range models launched by Apple and Google for the small-screen market in 2020, the 2020 iPhone SE and Pixel 4a only support 4G networks. However, Apple has equipped the 2020 iPhone SE with the latest A13 processor and IP67 features. Google has brought the Pixel 4a with flagship-level camera capabilities and excellent battery life.

Meanwhile, although the iPhone 12 series has not been released yet, there is news that Apple will launch a 4G version of the iPhone 12 in early 2021. It will also include two versions, one large and one small, 5.4 inches and 6.1 inches respectively. It may be named iPhone 12e separately, with basically the same hardware configuration, dual-camera design, A14 processor, and 4GB RAM. However, the screen material will not use the 5G version of OLED, but will return to LCD.

The price is more advantageous

It is worth noting that the 4G version of the Apple iPhone 12 series may be priced at US$549 for the 5.4-inch version and US$649 for the 6.1-inch version. Compared with the leaked price of the 5G version, the 4G version of the iPhone 12 will be US$100 cheaper than the 5G version and US$150 cheaper than the predecessor iPhone 11.

In addition, at the beginning of 2020, when Redmi's K30 series was released, 4G and 5G versions were also launched. At that time, the starting price of the 4G version was 1,599 yuan, and the starting price of the 5G version was 1,999 yuan. The 4G version also had a price advantage of 400 yuan.

After Samsung launched the 5G version of the Galaxy Z Flip, the 4G version of the model also saw a big price cut in some channels, with the selling price even reaching more than 6,000 yuan. Compared with the 5G version, which currently sells for at least 11,000 yuan, there is a lot of room for discount. At the same time, since this model is only equipped with a 3300mAh battery, the battery life performance of the 4G version is also as stretched as the 5G version.

The Google Pixel 4a, which is currently attracting much attention, also shows the price advantage of the 4G version. The current version is only US$349, but the Google official website shows that the starting price of the subsequent Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 will be US$499. Obviously, this starting price is the price of the Pixel 4a 5G, which means that the 4G version of Google Pixel 4a is US$150 cheaper than the 5G version.

4G network will exist for a long time

There is no need to worry about network problems with 4G mobile phones. First of all, although mobile phone manufacturers have not added 5G support to these mobile phones, most models support WiFi 6 technology. When WiFi 6 becomes popular in the future, you will be able to get the same network experience as 5G after accessing the wireless network.

For 4G networks, they will not face the previous 2G and 3G network withdrawal problems, because the current 5G network is temporarily inseparable from the 4G network. First of all, since 5G networks generally choose to use NSA networking in the early stage, this also means that the 4G core network is still needed.

In addition, if users need to use voice services on the 5G network, the current solution is to fall back to the 4G network and use VoLTE, which is one of the reasons why operators have accelerated the VoLTE process, and it also makes it impossible for operators to quickly withdraw 4G from the network. Only when the 5G network coverage performance is fully improved and important 5G services with market demand emerge, operators will consider technical solutions such as VoNR in a timely manner.

At the same time, due to the huge explosion of the Internet of Things in the future, many use cases actually also require 4G networks. When 2G and 3G are facing or have been withdrawn from the network, the use of 5G networks for many use cases still has problems such as excessive power consumption and inability to continuously cover signals.

In fact, in the next few years, 4G and 5G will coexist for a long time to complement each other. This means that the 4G network will not only not die out, but will also be continuously maintained, and there will not even be the problem of many 3G networks lacking optimization and being difficult to use in the 4G era. The speed brought by the 4G network is also basically the same as the broadband experience in many households. At present, if users do not download or upload large amounts of data, it is difficult to widen the gap in the user experience between 4G and 5G.

In other words, 4G mobile phones are not only relatively cheap, but also provide the same user experience as 5G models when the hardware specifications are basically the same. They also have long-lasting network conditions. Perhaps, 4G mobile phones will not be eliminated in the future, and may even attract the attention of many consumers against the backdrop of skyrocketing smartphone prices.