iPhone 12 Please help explain this!

[Liam Steven]

Hi

My partner and I recently traveled to USA (NYC) and we both had very different data experiences…

• we are both on the same data/cellular plan
• we are both with EE UK
• we both have the roaming “add-on” to include USA
• we both bounced between T-Mobile and AT&T
• neither of us are using a VPN or iCloud private relay
• we both used Safari and Google Maps app
• I have an iPhone 12 and my partner has an iPhone 11 Pro.

I had barely any data signal. I had 3G most of the time, which was impossibly slow. I had a few brief moments of 5G (owing to the iPhone 12). My partner was able to get 4G 90% of the time and even had a signal in the underground tube!


What? Is the iPhone 11 Pro superior to the iPhone 12?

 

[Paddle1]

A quick Google search says the iPhone 11 series has Intel 4G modems. The iPhone 12 has Qualcomm 5G modems.

Considering we're fairly early into 5G tech I could see that possibly playing a factor.

 

[eyoungren]

Hi

My partner and I recently traveled to USA (NYC) and we both had very different data experiences…

• we are both on the same data/cellular plan
• we are both with EE UK
• we both have the roaming “add-on” to include USA
• we both bounced between T-Mobile and AT&T
• neither of us are using a VPN or iCloud private relay
• we both used Safari and Google Maps app
• I have an iPhone 12 and my partner has an iPhone 11 Pro.

I had barely any data signal. I had 3G most of the time, which was impossibly slow. I had a few brief moments of 5G (owing to the iPhone 12). My partner was able to get 4G 90% of the time and even had a signal in the underground tube!


What? Is the iPhone 11 Pro superior to the iPhone 12?

T-Mobile (my carrier) is early on in the rollout of 5G (despite their claims to be the best 5G network). You're partner's 11 Pro held on to LTE, which is a mature network here in the US. Your phone kept trying to get 5G and when it could not, stepped down to 3G instead of LTE.

This is a prime reason as to why I purchased an 11 Pro Max last year and not an iPhone 12 Pro Max. Back in 2012 I was a guinea pig for Sprint in their rollout of LTE. That experience did not go well at all.

I was not willing to repeat that experience on T-Mobile with 5G - hence I got an LTE iPhone.

 

[Liam Steven]

Do you think it would help if changed the data settings to 4G? There’s options for 5G and 4G.

We are heading back very soon.

Thanks!

 

[eyoungren]

Do you think it would help if changed the data settings to 4G? There’s options for 5G and 4G.

We are heading back very soon.

Thanks!

Yes, it would have stopped trying to hold on to 5G and used LTE (4G) instead. It would have been exactly what your partner was using.

 

[Liam Steven]

Yes, it would have stopped trying to hold on to 5G and used LTE (4G) instead. It would have been exactly what your partner was using.

Thank you. We are heading to Nevada and so I will try this. Obviously, it’s a different State, but nevertheless, I will see what happens!

 

[eyoungren]

Thank you. We are heading to Nevada and so I will try this. Obviously, it’s a different State, but nevertheless, I will see what happens!

You might have a better experience there on 5G, I don't know. But if you do start to experience problems, just switch down to LTE.