The UK saw its first, belated, 4G network
appear for use late last year thanks to EE,
which managed to wangle approval from
regulator Ofcom to launch an LTE service
before the other main providers.
But now Vodafone and O2 have launched
their new high-speed 4G networks , or, to
put it another way, your mobile may soon
give you quicker uploads, downloads and
ping responses than your home
broadband thanks to these new mobile
networks.
The downside is that you're probably
going to need a new phone to use this
super-super-fast data connection, as
many older mobiles don't have the
necessary radios inside them to hook into
the frequencies used by 4G systems.
Already got a 4G-ready phone? Find
out which is the best 4G network
Luckily for you, though, the mobile
networks are falling over themselves to
stock new 4G-ready phones and updated
versions of popular current models, with
some of the best handsets from the top
makers supporting our new LTE bands.
And we've done the hard work for you, so
sit back, relax and check out the best 4G
phones compared.
IPhone 5S;
The iPhone 5S isn't as tricky as the
iPhone 5 because, along with the iPhone
5C, it supports the most 4G bands of any
smartphone currently on the market. This
means it will happily play with any 4G
network here in the UK.
It's not all plain sailing though, as O2 still
needs to do some work to its 4G service
before the iPhone 5S will work on its
superfast network, although we're told this
will be sorted "soon".
Meanwhile over at Vodafone and EE all is
well with the 5S, and Three tell us Apple's
latest flagship will also play nicely with its
4G when it's launched in December.
As for the phone itself, the iPhone 5S isn't
an enormous update over the previous
models, but Apple has managed to
squeeze a faster A7 processor inside the
chassis, along with an updated camera
module and a nifty fingerprint scanner
hidden under the home button.
HTC One;
This is HTC's best phone yet, and that's
saying something. The HTC One is 4G-
ready from the offset, so can be bought on
any of the networks peddling the super
fast connection.
The HTC One earned rave reviews for its
metallic chassis, superb low-light camera
performance and the general smoothness
of HTC's updated user interface, with the
new HTC Sense social features also going
down a storm.
This phone and a 4G data connection
would make most people very, very
jealous indeed.
Samsung Galaxy S4;
Samsung Galaxy S4 deals
This year's Galaxy S series update was
not without controversy. Its launch event
was a bizarre music hall experience that
some said was rather sexist, the phone's
full of so much bloatware and additional
Samsung software it's been complained
about on TV, but none of these whinges
have stopped the Galaxy S4 shipping in
record numbers and making it the most
popular Android phone around today.
It's not just good marketing either, the
Galaxy S4 is an excellent handset in its
own right and while it may be trumped by
the HTC One it's still worth a look.
The only model sold in the UK comes with
a 4G-friendly radio inside it, so once
you've got it, you've got the 4G power on
EE, Vodafone and O2.
Nokia Lumia 925;
Nokia's latest Windows Phone 8 model
isn't to be sniffed at just because it's not
running iOS or Android, it's a decent
handset with some great features and a
premium build which goes hand in hand
with the premium price you'll pay for 4G.
It's main attraction, and you may have
spotted it in the TV adverts, is its 8.7MP
camera which Nokia boasts produces the
best low light pictures around - and we're
inclined to agree.
The Windows Phone interface is slick and
provides something very different from the
Apple and Google offerings, plus support
for all the key UK 4G bands means the
Lumia 925 is future-proofed connectivity
wise.
BlackBerry Z10;
If you want something a little more avant
garde, BlackBerry's new Z10 is also an
early member of the UK's 4G phone club.
The first phone to run the company's new
BB10 mobile OS, the Z10's software is a
little quirky in places, but the powerful,
feature-packed web browser and 4G
connectivity makes it a decent contender
for those after something fast and a little
different.
Plus, with a relatively modest 4.2-inch
display, it's one of the more pocketable
modern smartphones and less of a slab
than other big name models. Don't ignore
it just because it's BlackBerry.
Nokia Lumia 1020;
The camera is the obvious winner here.
While 41MP seems like overkill for a
smartphone, it does have its benefits.
Images are sharper at larger sizes, and
the 5MP photos are crisper than you'd
normally find on any other 5MP or even
8MP smartphone camera.
To top it off, battery life is pretty good on
the Lumia 1020, so that should give you
confidence when leaving home without a
charger or battery pack.
You can pick the Lumia 1020 up from O2,
Three, EE and Vodafone, with 4G
supported on all networks which offer the
superfast connection.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini;
If all these fancy smartphones are just too
big for your dainty little hands then fear
not, for 4G also comes in smaller
packages and one of those is the
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
Borrowing the styling from its big brother
the S4 Mini comes in at a cheaper price
point but still packs a decent punch for a
mid-range mobile.
A bright screen and capable camera make
the S4 Mini an attractive proposition and
its broad 4G prowess means its available
from EE, O2 and Vodafone.
BlackBerry Q10;
If you want traditional QWERTY BlackBerry
hardware to accompany your futuristic 4G
data speeds, there's only one choice (well
actually there's two now thanks to the
BlackBerry Q5 ) -- the Q10.
The phone looks like your usual old BB
with its chunky keyboard and landscape
display above, but comes with the updated
BB10 OS for adding a bit more style to
proceedings.
The phone also includes NFC support, for
transferring mobile data rather more
slowly over distances of a couple of
centimetres, should that ever really
become a thing people want to do. Oh and
it'll work on EE, O2 and Vodafone - phew.
iPhone 5C;
Like the 5S, the iPhone 5C provides the
widest range of 4G band support out of
any phone, so you won't have to worry
about compatibility issues - that is unless
you're on O2.
Grab the iPhone 5C on Vodafone and EE
and you'll be enjoying 4G from the word
go, but O2 is yet to get its 4G house in
order for the new iPhones, lumping
customers with a 3G connection for now -
but a fix is "coming soon".
The iPhone 5C is a bit of an odd handset.
It's plastic body, yet slick operation
should see it compete with the likes of the
One Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini, but it's
premium price tag means it prices itself
closer to the big brothers - both of which
have more features. It does come in some
bright colours though.
HTC One Mini;
Another "mini" 4G handset to break into
the ranks is the HTC One Mini, arriving on
EE and O2 - but currently shunned by
Vodafone.
Would we recommend the One Mini?
Absolutely. We love the aluminium shell,
the UltraPixel camera and BoomSound
speakers.
You also get to play with the latest version
of Android as well as all the cool apps like
the Music Player, which show lyrics to
songs as they're playing.
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