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iPhone 13 Pro 5G speeds?
- Thread starter elykoj
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Verizon runs 5G in two different spectrum ranges: sub 6-GHz (what they call "nationwide 5G") and mmWave (what they call "ultra wideband"). The former is most prevalent and is primarily used because of its higher efficiency and other advantages, but you won't necessarily see higher speeds than with LTE. Only in locations where mmWave spectrum is deployed will you possibly see much higher speeds, but those are still pretty rare (selected spots in major cities).
Your results are pretty consistent with what you should expect for the time being from Verizon and AT&T. It's not until they start deploying the C-band frequencies that faster speeds will be more widespread. iPhone 12 and 13 support this bands, so you should be good once it is deployed in your area. Still, you're not going to see gigabit speeds like you do with mmWave. It'll be more like 300-500 Mb.
T-Mobile on the other hand had a ton of unused spectrum that they picked up from Sprint, so they didn't have to wait for the FCC to give the green light on C-band. As a result their 5G is more widespread. They actually won PC Mag's Fastest Mobile Network award for the first time this year as a result. The article does a good job of explaining what's going on and why and is well worth a read.
Fastest Mobile Networks 2021
T-Mobile on the other hand had a ton of unused spectrum that they picked up from Sprint, so they didn't have to wait for the FCC to give the green light on C-band. As a result their 5G is more widespread. They actually won PC Mag's Fastest Mobile Network award for the first time this year as a result. The article does a good job of explaining what's going on and why and is well worth a read.
Fastest Mobile Networks 2021
I was in Forest Park, IL (Chicago suburbs) last night and I did a 5g test. I hit 110 down and 46 up. That’s the first time I ever was on 5g and I was impressed. Maybe it should be faster than that theoretically, but I’m not complaining!
For 5G I would find that disappointing honestly. I hit 75.4/29.2 on T-Mobile LTE at home last night.
What I'm interested in is how 5G performs when signal is less than ideal. At work I have 3 bars on my XS and I only get 2-3Mbps. Signal strength affects LTE a ton.
I've done a few tests and generally get 70-300 Mbit down - but up is only 5-20Mbit. This is on T-Mobile just outside the Dallas/Ft Worth area.
The problem is coverage and consistency, and the hunting that the phone does when you transition from 5G to 4GLTE. The LTE doesn't seem to pick up as well as my wife's iPhone 11, and when it transitions I get an interruption sometimes while she ofc doesn't with the LTE coverage.
So it's a little bit of a mixed bag right now. I would say 5G has a couple more years before it is a legit driver for people buying new phones. Naturally if you're in an area with excellent and wide 5G coverage that you rarely wander out of, it could be more important. Where I live, I have 5G, but drive 5 miles and I don't.
The problem is coverage and consistency, and the hunting that the phone does when you transition from 5G to 4GLTE. The LTE doesn't seem to pick up as well as my wife's iPhone 11, and when it transitions I get an interruption sometimes while she ofc doesn't with the LTE coverage.
So it's a little bit of a mixed bag right now. I would say 5G has a couple more years before it is a legit driver for people buying new phones. Naturally if you're in an area with excellent and wide 5G coverage that you rarely wander out of, it could be more important. Where I live, I have 5G, but drive 5 miles and I don't.
T-Mobile is in a very different position than Verizon (which the OP uses). They have a large amount of unused spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band from their Sprint acquisition where they can deploy 5G. And since there are currently still relatively few subscribers with phones that can utilize this, they provisioned it in a way that allow high speeds per subscriber. Verizon and AT&T first have to deploy 5G on their newly acquired c-band spectrum, but that won't be widely deployed until sometime mid to end of next year.
Agree, nicely worded.
I’m wondering, on the 12Pro/Max it was generally felt that unless you have great 5G coverage turning off 5G to save battery was the way to go. How about on the 13Pro, is 5G using 20% more battery as it was on the 12Pro?