Why would you want to use 5G network on your smartphone?

Do you use 5G or 4G network?

  • 5G

    Votes: 10 40.0%

  • 4G

    Votes: 15 60.0%
  • Total voters
    25
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cattynip

cattynip

Explorer
I just got an update for my smartphone which enables it to use/connect to a 5G network. The speeds are similar or just slightly better to what a 4G network provides. Also data on 5G is free (trial period). It comes with its downsides. The range is really poor, phone heats up and the battery life is gone down the drain. Whilst on mobile data, i only browse the web or play 1080p content on YouTube for which my 4G network is sufficient. So why use 5G?
 
It will take a few years before you can fully enjoy it. Battery life will improve with newer SOCs with better modems. Carriers will add more infra (towers, fiber back-haul) to handle the growing number of 5G devices. OSes will have better software optimization to extract all the juice out of 5G capabilities.
 
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I am getting rock solid 5g coverage on Jio both indoor and outdoor, my phone doesn't heat up unless I turn on hotspot and download massive files and easily get 1.5-2 days battery life on normal usage. Also speeds are vastly superior in my area, I get around 50-100mbps on 4g and 300-1000mbps on 5g.

So for me I don't see point in switching to 4g.
 
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5g phones still seem to be in early stages and its a just a hype among people to get hold off 5g but then its still too harsh on battery. SO for me its totally useless! And might only think of shifting to a 5g phone later this year.end of this yr.. Tussle between 5g SA and NSA.

www.androidauthority.com

Does 5G use more battery on your smartphone?

With 5G smartphones now common, you may be wondering: does 5G use more battery? The short answer is yes, but it depends on a few factors.
www.androidauthority.com www.androidauthority.com
 
Also a few observations regarding the speed:
1. I get two 5g bands, 3500mhz and 700mhz, they keep switching randomly through out the day even though I get full signals on both bands. I mostly get 3500mhz though.
2. Speeds on 700mhz band varies between 200mbps to 300mps, whereas I get 600-1000mbps on 3500mhz band.
3. These speed are achievable almost exclusively on servers located in India. I got about 85MBps on steam's delhi server but if I try to download something from US or EU servers speeds are limited to 30MBps max.

Overall I was expecting poor experience given how most early 5g reviews in US complained about poor coverage and 5g's inability to penetrate walls and stuff but I'm very pleased with the 5g experience that I'm getting, but I understand that I maybe in the minority so hopefully the coverage will improve for you all and so will your experience.
 
I like to see 5G speed test results when I am out in NCR. 300-600 mpbs speeds on mobile network looks great hehe.
 
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I get 350+ Mbps speed in Gurgaon but I don't have much use of it.

I got Jio welcome offer on my secondary sim (329 plan) but not on primary sim (666 plan).

I used 5G (mobile hotspot) few days ago when I terminated Spectranet broadband and got a new Airtel broadband next day.

It worked well and took full workload of my home broadband including Desktop and 4K smooth playback on TV.

Problem I faced is when I get call on my primary number, internet gets disconnected (5G data was running on secondary number).

Edit: Checked just now and it is 512 Mbps.
 
Found the iOS options do a good job of switching to 5G only for data use scenarios, a bit of best of both worlds. However, generally don't care about 5G as active battery drain is much higher for the speed delta which is pointless for regular day-to-day usage.

Use 5G with your iPhone

iPhone 12 models or later work with the 5G cellular networks of certain carriers. Learn how to use 5G cellular service.
support.apple.com support.apple.com
 
cattynip said:
The range is really poor, phone heats up and the battery life is gone down the drain. Whilst on mobile data, i only browse the web or play 1080p content on YouTube for which my 4G network is sufficient. So why use 5G?
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I have a really different experience with 5g. Maybe because of the band used. I'm stuck on the 700Mhz 5g band of Jio since the upper bands are not there or too far away from my residence. My phone heats up a lot on 4g when downloading a full hd video from YouTube. On 5g, on 1 bar signal, the download was over even before it got warm. The speeds on 5g on 1bar, are the same as 4g on full 5 bars. Yes, battery life is poor but I prefer 5g more than 4g. I've locked my phone to 5g only now. Free data is a bonus and don't know till how long it lasts.
 
The only reason i may use 5G is if i am commuting. If i know a place where 5G network coverage is good enough for me to download large files or maybe multiple episodes of a video podcast on YouTube. But this is only if the 5G data is FREE which it is for the trial period. Right now I have an active 4G data plan which only gives me 6GB for 84 days. So switching to 5G while on the move for downloading heavy content makes sense to me. Will only have to carry a battery bank i guess.
But what happens in the near future when you're charged for the 5G data that you use. I mean you'll of-course have to pay some sort of premium for those higher speeds in contrast to 4G. Also the per day data cap will have to be higher that what 4G provides (1.5GB/day or 2GB/day). Well 5G speeds are really wild when compared to 4G on a good day but will paying a price premium for a 5G plan just for higher speeds and limited data justify it?
How do you think companies like Jio/Airtel/Vi will push out their 5G plans and till how long will this free trial last?

Edit: Switched over to 5G. Will update on battery drain for a regular day of usage.
 
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I have used more than 800GB Data this month on Jio 5G. Get speeds around 600 to 700Mbps. USB Tethering gives 40MB/s ( Around 400 Mbps ) speed on PC as it is limited by tethering speed. Battery lasts a whole day. Speed as well as latency is really good.
Band can be locked to Band78 (Gives consistent speed) during downloading. Jio is also planning to launch Air Fibre using 5G. It will be on similar terms to that of Jio Fibre providing plans like 100Mbps connection of INR700 per month. Hard to say exact pricing as this trial period and it's data usages policy will determine that.

TLDR, things are going to change. Small Daily caps limits will certainly be removed. If Jio launches n258 band (1ms latency ) for commercial purposes, 5G will rule. But it's really difficult task.
PradUp said:
Also a few observations regarding the speed:
1. I get two 5g bands, 3500mhz and 700mhz, they keep switching randomly through out the day even though I get full signals on both bands. I mostly get 3500mhz though.
2. Speeds on 700mhz band varies between 200mbps to 300mps, whereas I get 600-1000mbps on 3500mhz band.
3. These speed are achievable almost exclusively on servers located in India. I got about 85MBps on steam's delhi server but if I try to download something from US or EU servers speeds are limited to 30MBps max.

Overall I was expecting poor experience given how most early 5g reviews in US complained about poor coverage and 5g's inability to penetrate walls and stuff but I'm very pleased with the 5g experience that I'm getting, but I understand that I maybe in the minority so hopefully the coverage will improve for you all and so will your experience.
Click to expand...
Do you use USB tethering to download from Steam ? My speed on Steam is limited to 40MBps by USB Tethering ( Indian Servers ). How are you getting 85MBps ?
 
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PradUp said:
I am getting rock solid 5g coverage on Jio both indoor and outdoor, my phone doesn't heat up unless I turn on hotspot and download massive files and easily get 1.5-2 days battery life on normal usage. Also speeds are vastly superior in my area, I get around 50-100mbps on 4g and 300-1000mbps on 5g.

So for me I don't see point in switching to 4g.
Click to expand...
You must be located close to a tower
PradUp said:
Also a few observations regarding the speed:
1. I get two 5g bands, 3500mhz and 700mhz, they keep switching randomly through out the day even though I get full signals on both bands. I mostly get 3500mhz though.
Click to expand...
The higher one is for more data
PradUp said:
2. Speeds on 700mhz band varies between 200mbps to 300mps, whereas I get 600-1000mbps on 3500mhz band.
Click to expand...
That one is the battery friendly band. If you can stay locked onto that one you will have excellent battery life. It will penetrate buildings better than 2G and also have the best coverage.
PradUp said:
3. These speed are achievable almost exclusively on servers located in India. I got about 85MBps on steam's delhi server but if I try to download something from US or EU servers speeds are limited to 30MBps max.

Overall I was expecting poor experience given how most early 5g reviews in US complained about poor coverage and 5g's inability to penetrate walls and stuff but I'm very pleased with the 5g experience that I'm getting, but I understand that I maybe in the minority so hopefully the coverage will improve for you all and so will your experience.
Click to expand...
You're lucky.
6pack said:
I have a really different experience with 5g. Maybe because of the band used. I'm stuck on the 700Mhz 5g band of Jio since the upper bands are not there or too far away from my residence. My phone heats up a lot on 4g when downloading a full hd video from YouTube. On 5g, on 1 bar signal, the download was over even before it got warm. The speeds on 5g on 1bar, are the same as 4g on full 5 bars. Yes, battery life is poor but I prefer 5g more than 4g.
Click to expand...
Makes sense because 4G uses 2,300 Mhz band. You will definitely have a better experience with 5G

700 Mhz penetrates buildings far better than 2,300 Mhz and has much wider coverage because it reaches further.
6pack said:
I've locked my phone to 5g only now. Free data is a bonus and don't know till how long it lasts.
Click to expand...
I would do that too if I got the same conditions as you

You are in this select rare group of people whose mobile battery consumption will be similar to being on home wifi. For everybody else, the battery will drain 2x as fast on data.
 
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blr_p said:
Makes sense because 4G uses 2,300 Mhz band. You will definitely have a better experience with 5G
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I noticed that when on 4g, the phone latched on to two towers with ca mode. So it was getting pretty hot. I uninstalled accubattery now but when it was installed, it used to show that the battery temps on 4g were close to 38C whereas in 5g it's around 33C.
 
blr_p said:
Makes sense because 4G uses 2,300 Mhz band. You will definitely have a better experience with 5G

700 Mhz penetrates buildings far better than 2,300 Mhz and has much wider coverage because it reaches further.
Click to expand...
the statement you made here is making me think that if it can penetrate concrete, what about my skin and organs?.
 
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belictony said:
the statement you made here is making me think that if it can penetrate concrete, what about my skin and organs?.
Click to expand...
cover2.jpg
 
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