The best 5G phones: Which flagship comes out on top?

What is the best 5G phone for your budget? The iPhone 13 Pro Max is our top choice when comparing 5G phone specs, including CPU, storage, display, price, camera, battery, and more.

The best 5G phones are setting the standard on all major US networks, with the expectation that every flagship includes support for 5G. We're even beginning to see stronger affordable phones -- some less than $400 -- support 5G technology, so accessing these networks is no longer limited to $1,000 handsets. That said, some of the best devices to supply the latest in connectivity still push or, in some cases, exceed that price point in their quest to provide their users with the absolute best smartphone experience the market currently has to offer.

Before choosing a 5G phone, it is important to understand not only your own device priorities, but also the different ways 5G networks are built. At the bottom of this guide, we explain 5G networks in the US and what benefits they offer to real-world users like you.

Display: 6.7 inches (2778 x 1284-pixel resolution) 120hz variable refresh rate | CPU: Apple A15 Bionic | RAM: 6GB | Internal storage: 128GB+ storage | Rear cameras: 12MP f/1.5 wide-angle, 12MP f/2.8 telephoto, and 12MP f/1.8 ultrawide cameras | Front camera: 12MP f/2.2 camera | Weight: 240g | Battery capacity: 4352mAh

From the outside, the iPhone 13 Pro Max looks almost identical to its direct predecessor. However, as is often the case with Apple's flagship, the real improvements all happen behind or, in this case, within the display. The iPhone 13 line Pro is the first to support the company's ProMotion technology, which not only bumps the maximum refresh rate up to 120hz, but also supports variable refresh rates as low as 10hz for static images. The result is a display that just about always looks buttery smooth without becoming a battery hog.

The 13 Pro Max is also the best venue for Apple's new "Cinematic Mode," a 1080p, 30fps video capture mode that supports things like rack focus and other cinematographer tricks that would have required an expensive standalone camera just a few years ago.