The iPhone 12 gives you the ability to turn off 5G if you want to maximize battery life, but tests indicate that Verizon users may want to do this for a second and a somewhat bizarre reason: to get higher data speeds phones!
The tests were performed using an iPhone 12 Pro in eight locations in New York, but similar results will be seen elsewhere …
PCMag performed the tests.
I performed tests on an iPhone 12 Pro switching between 5G and 4G in the same locations. In both cases, DSS 5G outperformed 4G LTE […]
I took the iPhone 12 Pro to eight locations in New York, where I compared 4G and 5G speeds. In the first seven locations, 5G was DSS and generally slower than 4G.
The reason is that Verizon uses a shortcut to achieve 5G coverage, known as dynamic spectrum sharing or DSS.
[DSS 5G] reuses parts of 4G channels for 5G. The phones will automatically prefer a 5G network to a 4G network, so Verizon customers will see the coveted 5G icon appear. But it’s all for the show. Our latest tests, using an iPhone 12 Pro in New York, show that DSS 5G is often slower than 4G and rarely faster. These results are similar to what we saw in October in Chicago with a Pixel 5.
Verizon did not acknowledge that its 5G would usually be slower than LTE, but acknowledged that there is no real advantage in its current 5G implementation.
“For most customers, the performance in our national 5G network will be similar to 4G. [DSS] it is a new technology and we continue to change it as we go. We expect performance to improve by 2021 and beyond, ”said a Verizon spokesman.
It’s different if you’re lucky enough to get mmWave 5G – there you should see speeds on – but since this is limited to a Wi-Fi range, you won’t see it very often even in big cities. The rest of the time, Verizon users are blocked with DSS.
If you don’t have dedicated channels, DSS allows you to use the odds and ends of unused 4G channels for 5G. 4G and 5G phones compete for the same 4G channel. The only difference is that the 5G runs the 5G coding system on that channel. DSS has advantages without speed – or will exist in the future, once operators switch to standalone 5G systems – but right now, you get slower performance […]
If you don’t have UWB 5G coverage, you’re likely to get better Verizon performance for now by disabling 5G on your iPhone
In the UK, I’ve found that I occasionally see high-speed data on 5G, but more often than not it’s different from 4G.
Here’s how to turn 5G on and off on your iPhone 12.
Photo: James Yarema on Unsplash
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