  As the next generation cellular system, 5G network is required to provide a
large variety of services for different kinds of terminals, from traditional
voice and data services over mobile phones to small packet transmission over
massive machine-type terminals. Although orthogonal-subcarrier based waveform
has been widely used nowadays in many practical systems, it can hardly meet the
future requirements in the coming 5G networks. Therefore, more flexible
waveforms have been proposed to address the unprecedented challenges. In this
article, we will provide comprehensive analysis and comparison for the typical
waveform candidates. To obtain insightful analysis, we will not only introduce
the basic principles of the waveforms but also reveal the underlying
characteristics of each waveform. Moreover, a comprehensive comparison in terms
of different performance metrics will be also presented in this article, which
provide an overall understanding of the new waveforms.
