5G is for show-offs, some analysts say

With 5G, the latest, greatest wireless networks promise to revolutionise industries from transportation to medicine. But for mobile-phone users, 5G is a way to show off, said analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein.

Handsets compatible with the superfast service are more expensive, but don’t offer practical benefits over the latest 4G models that already download at speeds well above that required to stream high-definition video, wrote analysts Chris Lane and Samuel Chen in a Friday note to clients.