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LFC2020

macrumors P6
Original poster
Apr 4, 2020
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Currently running my 12 pro max on 4G only, my carrier is offering me a free 5G upgrade for the same price as my current plan.

Does battery life take a hit when 5G auto is enabled in carrier settings? Or does it work well?
 
Currently running my 12 pro max on 4G only, my carrier is offering me a free 5G upgrade for the same price as my current plan.

Does battery life take a hit when 5G auto is enabled in carrier settings? Or does it work well?
Telstra?
 
How did you get that offer?
No idea, maybe they liked my food pics in the iPhone photos thread. 😂 You reckon it’s for a new service?
Don’t want to add a new service.

EB0511CE-91F1-4599-BA77-0D7BB6C8CD67.jpeg
 
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No idea lol, you reckon it’s for a new service?
Don’t want to add a new service.

View attachment 1715940
Think they have had that offer for awhile, the XL plan is $50 off now for $65 for 12 months, i am on a XS $40 plan with $10 discount on the phone with shared data, (business account) no 5g if i change to get 5G will cost me extra $35 month, don't need all the extra data, it's a rort for now eventually they will have to give 5G on every plan.
Also loathed to change anything with Telstra ATM since covid they are a nightmare to get onto, chat people are useless as TOAB lol. Have already taken them to TIO this year cost them $628 in credit for me to settle haha.
 
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Telstra ATM since covid they are a nightmare to get onto, chat people are useless as TOAB lol. Have already taken them to TIO this year cost them $628 in credit for me to settle haha.

Not wrong there lol, think I’ll pop into a Telstra store, can’t be bothered dealing with their online chat and call centers. 🤦‍♂️

Seems like a good deal, I’ll end up with extra data and 5G with no extra cost.

I can see the deal for the XL plan on their website but nothing for the S, M, L plans.
 
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Currently running my 12 pro max on 4G only, my carrier is offering me a free 5G upgrade for the same price as my current plan.

Does battery life take a hit when 5G auto is enabled in carrier settings? Or does it work well?

I have 5G on T-Mobile/Sprint here in Seattle (for whatever "5G" means at this point in this area) and I don't see any negative battery impact on my 12 Pro Max (vs 4G on my XS Max).
 
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I have 5G on T-Mobile/Sprint here in Seattle (for whatever "5G" means at this point in this area) and I don't see any negative battery impact on my 12 Pro Max (vs 4G on my XS Max).

You have it on 5G auto or 5G?
 
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I am with Optus. This is the speed with 5G auto (basically Optus 4G speed)

C9EC78C9-9095-4E12-9B0D-0F6C00249B2C.jpeg


This is the speed with 5G on and allow more data on 5G.
4B5A4559-1DB7-4E99-B908-CE675493C8E4.jpeg


I have a pro max and have my phone set to 5G on and find the battery usage acceptable.

I don’t know for what iPhone will switch to 5G if set to auto
 
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Not sure, I’m currently running tests using dual sim functionality esim plus physical sim. But alas no 5G on either line when both lines are enabled. Comical.
5g in the US if not on T-Mobile is in some cases worse than 4g anyway

that being said, I haven't noticed a difference in battery life between 5G auto and LTE only. but that may be due to the implementation that Apple has chosen
 
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I’m on AT&T with the 5G plan and I’ve had this since I got the phone (launch day) and notice no severe battery drainage and I have it on 5G auto. Two months in and good so far 👍🏻
 
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no 5G even available in my area and not even got a 5G sim. hoping by end of 2021 and early 2022 coverage is better but 5G isa bit pointless at this stage
 
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5g in the US if not on T-Mobile is in some cases worse than 4g anyway

that being said, I haven't noticed a difference in battery life between 5G auto and LTE only. but that may be due to the implementation that Apple has chosen
So true about speeds. I’m with T-Mobile USA as well. Similar outcome when running speed tests, 5G seems slower. Alas, 5G signal is only available in one corner of my home.
 
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I use 5G Auto (and have since I got my 12 Pro), and haven't noticed any battery issues. That being said, I haven't done anything scientific to try with it on Auto, and then 5G Off, to see if a noticeable change.

Give it a try and see if you notice any battery life change. I think most likely, you won't. I haven't given it a second thought since turning it on.
 
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My 12Pro disconnects from home WiFi many times a day. I set it to LTE, and no more WiFi drops.
 
5G auto definitely drains more than LTE, noticeably when on the move and it’s constantly trying to get a good connection I guess.
 
I had 5G On as well and battery life was fine. However, in the car I use a MagSafe car charging mount so it's constantly getting charged on the road, and it's a well (battery) endowed iPhone 12 Pro Max so it's hard for me to gauge.

Do any of you notice much difference in 5G connection consistency with 5G On vs 5G Auto? The few times I've tried both settings... while stationary in one location... both would give me 5G. At home where I do get 5G, while I get a consistent connection to 5G with a relatively distant tower, 5G (600 MHz), the speed ranges from somewhat faster than LTE to significantly slower than LTE, sometimes as low as 30 Mbps download. In that latter scenario I might have guessed 5G Auto's algorithm might have chosen LTE over 5G, but that it not the case. So it seems 5G Auto is not selecting the connection based on speed. As long as the 5G signal is reasonably decent, it's happy enough to stick with 5G, even if the speed is not as good.

OTOH, at another location I tried it, 5G was consistently much faster than LTE, so I do know the network (even at Roger's 600 MHz) can support high speeds. It's not 500+ Mbps but more in the range of 250 Mbps, which is more than I ever get on LTE.

I haven't tried 5G Auto on the road.
 
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Do any of you notice much difference in 5G connection consistency with 5G On vs 5G Auto? The few times I've tried both settings... while stationary in one location... both would give me 5G. At home where I do get 5G, while I get a consistent connection to 5G with a relatively distant tower, 5G (600 MHz), the speed ranges from somewhat faster than LTE to significantly slower than LTE, sometimes as low as 30 Mbps download. In that latter scenario I might have guessed 5G Auto's algorithm might have chosen LTE over 5G, but that it not the case. So it seems 5G Auto is not selecting the connection based on speed. As long as the 5G signal is reasonably decent, it's happy enough to stick with 5G, even if the speed is not as good.

Yea, I don't think the 5G On vs Auto is meant to make the decision based on connection speed, but on what you're using it for. Eg. if you're doing video conferencing / streaming where the 5G bandwidth and latency benefits can help, it switches to 5G. If you're not doing something that needs the speed, it switches to LTE purely to save battery.

I assume there's another system / algorithm that determines if the speed is "Fast enough" based on where you are as to whether it uses 5G or LTE (just like back in the day, pre-5G, when LTE was less prevalent, something would determine whether to use LTE or switch to 3G because of lack of connectivity / speed).
 
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Yea, I don't think the 5G On vs Auto is meant to make the decision based on connection speed, but on what you're using it for. Eg. if you're doing video conferencing / streaming where the 5G bandwidth and latency benefits can help, it switches to 5G. If you're not doing something that needs the speed, it switches to LTE purely to save battery.

I assume there's another system / algorithm that determines if the speed is "Fast enough" based on where you are as to whether it uses 5G or LTE (just like back in the day, pre-5G, when LTE was less prevalent, something would determine whether to use LTE or switch to 3G because of lack of connectivity / speed).
Hmm... The times where it was 30 Mbps on 5G, I was just surfing. So, yes 5G was enough, but there was no need for it, and LTE was faster anyway.
 
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In 5G the iPhone is constantly searching for that 5G signal so the battery does take a hit. When using 5G which at this point in time is for short and infrequent periods it’s a small hit
Bottom Line: you may see a small decrease in battery life but nothing major
 
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