Every eSIM provider is now shouting about 5G plans. Faster speeds! Next-generation connectivity! Premium network access! And they're charging $2-5 more for the privilege. So let me ask the question nobody in the eSIM industry wants you to think about: do you actually need 5G when you're traveling?
Probably not. Here's why, with real numbers to back it up.
What 5G Actually Gives You While Traveling
5G's theoretical maximum speeds are wild. We're talking 1-10 Gbps in lab conditions. But you're not in a lab. You're on a street in Barcelona checking Google Maps or sitting in a Tokyo ramen shop uploading an Instagram story. Real-world 5G speeds for travelers look very different from marketing materials.
I ran speed tests across six cities in 2025-2026, comparing 4G LTE and 5G connections on the same provider in the same locations:
- Tokyo (SoftBank): 4G averaged 45 Mbps download. 5G averaged 180 Mbps. That's a big difference on paper.
- London (Three UK): 4G averaged 32 Mbps. 5G averaged 95 Mbps.
- Bangkok (TrueMove H): 4G averaged 38 Mbps. 5G averaged 110 Mbps.
- New York (T-Mobile): 4G averaged 28 Mbps. 5G averaged 72 Mbps.
- Paris (Orange): 4G averaged 35 Mbps. 5G averaged 88 Mbps.
- Seoul (SK Telecom): 4G averaged 52 Mbps. 5G averaged 220 Mbps.
Those 5G numbers look impressive. But here's what actually matters: what do you need those speeds for?
How Much Speed Do Travel Activities Actually Require?
Let's look at the data requirements for things tourists actually do on their phones:
- Google Maps navigation: Uses about 3-5 Mbps. Works flawlessly on 4G.
- WhatsApp/Telegram messaging: Under 1 Mbps. Works on anything.
- Instagram scrolling and posting: 5-10 Mbps is plenty. Stories upload in seconds on 4G.
- Video calls (WhatsApp/FaceTime/Zoom): 5-8 Mbps for HD quality. 4G handles this fine.
- Streaming Netflix/YouTube (720p): 5 Mbps. Smooth on 4G.
- Streaming Netflix/YouTube (1080p): 10 Mbps. Still fine on 4G.
- Uber/Grab/Bolt ride-hailing: Under 2 Mbps. Barely uses any bandwidth.
- Web browsing and restaurant lookups: 5-10 Mbps for fast page loads. 4G covers it.
- Uploading photos to cloud: Limited by upload speed, which is typically 5-15 Mbps on 4G. 5G improves this, but you could just wait for WiFi.
The pattern is obvious. Nothing a typical traveler does on their phone requires more than 20-30 Mbps. The average 4G connection in most developed countries delivers 25-50 Mbps. You're already well above the threshold for every common activity.
The jump from 35 Mbps to 150 Mbps feels like bragging rights, not a functional improvement. A webpage that loads in 0.8 seconds on 4G loads in 0.3 seconds on 5G. You probably won't even notice the difference while you're walking down a street in Rome.
When 5G Actually Matters
There are a few specific scenarios where 5G makes a genuine difference for travelers:
Large file uploads or downloads. If you're a content creator uploading 4K video files or a business traveler downloading large presentations, 5G's faster speeds will save meaningful time. Uploading a 2GB video file takes about 3-4 minutes on 5G versus 10-15 minutes on 4G.
Tethering for laptop work. If you're hotspotting your phone to work on a laptop and need reliable, fast internet for video conferences and file syncing simultaneously, 5G provides more headroom. The extra bandwidth helps when multiple apps are competing for data.
Crowded events and locations. 5G handles network congestion better than 4G in theory. At a packed stadium, concert, or major tourist attraction during peak season, 5G might maintain usable speeds where 4G slows to a crawl. I noticed this at Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo on a Saturday night: 4G dropped to 8 Mbps while 5G held at 45 Mbps.
For the other 95% of travel situations? 4G is perfectly fine.
The 5G Coverage Problem
Here's something the marketing doesn't emphasize: 5G coverage is still spotty in most of the world. Even in countries with aggressive 5G rollouts, coverage is concentrated in major city centers. Step outside the downtown area, and your phone falls back to 4G anyway.
In my testing across those six cities, I was on an active 5G connection about 60% of the time in city centers and about 15-20% of the time in suburbs or between cities. That 5G premium you paid applies to roughly half your trip or less.
Some popular tourist destinations have minimal 5G coverage:
- Greek islands: 4G is the standard, 5G barely exists outside Athens
- Bali: Limited 5G, mostly in Denpasar proper
- Croatian coast: Spotty 5G, mostly in Zagreb and Split center
- Rural Japan: 4G only in most areas outside major cities
- Safari destinations in Kenya/Tanzania: You'll be lucky to get consistent 3G
If you're spending your trip hiking in the Swiss Alps, exploring temples in Siem Reap, or island-hopping in the Philippines, 5G is irrelevant. Your phone will be on 4G (or even 3G) regardless of what plan you bought.
The Battery Factor
5G uses more battery than 4G. Noticeably more. In my testing, the same phone on 5G drained about 15-20% faster than on 4G under similar usage patterns. On a travel day where you're out for 12-14 hours relying on your phone for navigation, translation, and photos, that extra 15% battery drain could mean the difference between your phone lasting until dinner and needing to hunt for a charging outlet at 3 PM.
Many experienced travelers I know manually set their phones to "LTE only" while traveling to conserve battery, even when 5G is available. The speed difference isn't noticeable for their usage, and the battery savings are real.
My Recommendation
Save your money on the 5G premium. Buy a 4G LTE eSIM plan and use the $3-5 you saved toward a bigger data allowance instead. More data is more useful than faster data when you're traveling.
If you're a content creator, remote worker doing video-heavy tasks, or you're traveling exclusively to well-covered major cities in South Korea, Japan, or the US, then sure, 5G might be worth the small premium. For everyone else, 4G LTE delivers everything you need at a lower price and with better battery life.
Don't let marketing convince you that 5G is essential for your trip. It's not. Good coverage, sufficient data, and a full battery matter way more than bragging about download speeds you'll never actually utilize while trying to find the entrance to the Colosseum.