4G-Weighing Up the Pros and Cons for Smartphone and Tablet Users

At the moment, you may well be considering making the switch to 4G. It will mean getting a new handset as only certain models are compatible, so you might need to shell out to buy a iPhone 5s to start using 4G.

Image Credits European Parliament

With the greater expense involved with 4G mobile broadband, it’s important to weigh up the pros and cons to see whether the superfast service is really worth it.

Let’s start with the advantages of 4G:

• Super speed – depending on the signal, 4G is believed to be around twice as fast as 3G.
• No buffering – when playing games, streaming video or loading websites, 4G eliminates those pesky loading screens so that you can enjoy fast internet use and uninterrupted gaming and streaming
• Competitive prices – now that 4G is offered by a number of major mobile networks, it is now available at more competitive prices as each operator tries to win customers away from its rivals
• New apps and handsets – the launch of 4G services in the UK has also triggered off a wave of development in terms of brand new handsets and exciting new apps for 4G users to try out

In the interests of balance, let’s move on to the potential drawbacks of 4G:

• Data use – as 4G is much faster than 3G, it eats up data much faster than you may expect. This can be expensive, unless you go for a tariff which puts no limits on your data use, such as unlimited EE iPhone 5s contracts, for example.
• Increased cost – no matter how you slice it, 4G will always be more expensive than 3G, but this is because it offers so much more than its predecessor in terms of super speed.
• Need to get a new handset – this can be considered a pro or a con, as you need to shell out for a 4G compatible handset but some customers may also relish the chance to upgrade.