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Is T-Mobile Go5G really better than Magenta, or just more expensive?
When I first learned about the new Go5G plans from T-Mobile I was a little confused by just how little the new plans seemed to offer. One of the things we previously loved about T-Mobile was the simplicity of its plans. It was easy to pick the right plan as the differences between Essentials, Magenta, and Magenta Max were fairly noticeable. That all changed with the introduction of Go5G.
Although Essentials is still the most basic tier, it’s less clear if Go5G sits above Magenta or not. The answer really depends on what you’re looking for. Let’s take a closer look in this quick Go5G vs Magenta comparison.
Now that Magenta plans have been retired, we know some of you are still grandfathered into the older plans. Should you keep the older plans, or upgrade to one of the new Go5G ones? Also, T-Mobile later launched an additional Go5G tier, dubbed Go5G Next. It’s a boon for frequent upgraders, but we cover Go5G Next vs Magenta in greater detail in another comparison.
T-Mobile Go5G vs Magenta
| Essentials Saver | Essentials | Go5G | Go5G Plus | Go5G Next | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cost | Essentials Saver Prices per line, plus taxes and fees: $50 for one line $40 for two lines $33.33 for three lines | Essentials Prices per line, plus taxes/fees: $60 for one line $45 for two lines $30 for three lines $26.25 for four lines $24 for five lines $100/month for Essentials 4 Line Offer - better deal if you sign up for all four lines at once. | Go5G Prices per line (taxes/fees included): $75 for one line $65 for two lines $51.67 for three lines $45 for four lines $41 for five lines | Go5G Plus Prices per line (taxes/fees included): $90 for one line $75 for two lines $61.67 for three lines $55 for four lines $51 for five lines | Go5G Next Prices per line (taxes/fees included): $100 for one line $85 for two lines $71.67 for three lines $65 for four lines $61 for five lines |
Unlimited Talk & Text | Essentials Saver Yes | Essentials Yes | Go5G Yes | Go5G Plus Yes | Go5G Next Yes |
Unlimited 4G Data | Essentials Saver Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with 50 of Premium Data | Essentials Yes, but might slow down during congestion after 50GB per month | Go5G Yes, but might slow down during congestion after 100GB per month | Go5G Plus Unlimited Premium 5G & 4G LTE with | Go5G Next Unlimited 5G & 4G LTE with Unlimited Premium Data |
Mobile Hotspot | Essentials Saver Unlimited 3G | Essentials Unlimited 3G | Go5G 15GB of high speed hotspot data, 3G speeds after | Go5G Plus 50GB of high speed hotspot data, 3G speeds after | Go5G Next 50GB of high speed hotspot data, 3G speeds after |
Netflix perk? | Essentials Saver No | Essentials No | Go5G No | Go5G Plus Netflix Standard with Ads | Go5G Next Netflix Standard with Ads |
Apple TV perk? | Essentials Saver No | Essentials No | Go5G Included | Go5G Plus Included | Go5G Next Included |
Unlimited video streaming | Essentials Saver SD streaming | Essentials SD streaming | Go5G SD streaming | Go5G Plus Up to 4K UHD streaming | Go5G Next Up to 4K UHD streaming |
Looking at the table, you’ll notice Magenta and Go5G have much in common. They both have unlimited talk, text, and 100GB of premium data. Extras like Netflix Basic and Apple TV+ remain the same.
The same story applies when comparing Go5G Plus vs Magneta Max. You’ll get all the same perks and services, but you’ll get a whopping 50GB of hotspot data versus 40GB on Max. Those visiting Canada and Mexico will also see a jump from 5GB of data to 15GB.
As for Go5G Next? It actually adds all the same perks as Go5G Plus but with the added benefit of upgrading a phone up to once a year, as long as you’ve paid for at least half of it by then.
New in Two: is it more than just a marketing gimmick?
Marketing materials would have you believe that one advantage to Go5G is that you only have to spread device payments over two years if you decide to go with user financing in what it is calling the New in Two offer. That’s better than the three-year installment plans now offered by AT&T and Verizon. The thing is, Magenta already offers this, and so does the Essentials plan! Even T-Mobile Prepaid plans offer two-year financing with approved credit.
At first blush, this seems mostly like a marketing gimmick aimed at new customers considering switching from another carrier. And it mostly is. That said, their press release also says this:
“New and existing customers get the same great deals now … and always in the future — so you never have to worry about missing out. It’s the fair treatment you can always count on from the Un-carrier.”
You might think, “I can already trade in my phone in two years and get a good deal with a trade-in since I have the Forever Upgrade.” The thing is, unless you’re grandfathered in, T-Mobile actually has stopped offering this feature with its plans. That means after two years, you can still finance a new phone, but you might not be guaranteed a promotional rate on your next upgrade. At least from the wording here, those with Go5G Plus won’t have to worry about promotional rates that only apply to new customers or for those adding a new line.
Of course, you could always upgrade to Go5G Plus later when you run into that issue. As for three-year contracts? At least for now, it seems T-Mobile won’t be introducing such a change. Could they ever? Typically, T-Mobile likes to set itself apart from the competition by doing the opposite, so we hope not. But you never know, especially as the carrier seems to be slowly moving away from its Uncarrier reputation a bit.
So, who wins the Go5G vs Magenta battle? At least for now, we’d recommend sticking to Magenta or Magenta Max unless you really care about the extra hotspot data. It’s just not worth the extra cost for very little tangible differences. If you hold a Magenta plan, it might be good to keep it.