Despite being a major part of Apple’s iPhone 12 announcement, Verizon iPhone 12 users are not getting what they were sold by the company when it comes to 5G network speeds. Verizon’s CEO had stepped up on stage during Apple’s iPhone 12 launch event, and talked about the company’s 5G network and mmWave support, however, users are not seeing benefits at all.
As per a new test by PC Magazine, Verizon iPhone 12 customers are getting faster speeds in most area with 4G, instead of 5G. The website recommends that users should turn off 5G and stick to 4G to get the best data speeds.
Verizon iPhone 12 users: disable 5G on your smartphone to get faster 4G speeds
Apple’s iPhone 12 is not the only smartphone facing this issue, as the problem lies within Verizon’s 5G network’s performance and availability. Verizon is using a technology called dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS), which allowed them to share parts of their 4G channels for 5G. Although this gives them ‘nationwide’ coverage, and lets them put a 5G icon on smartphones, the performance is not actually 5G capable. In most places, including New York City and Chicago, 5G is actually slower than 4G.
A Verizon spokesperson told PC magazine:
“For most customers, performance on our 5G nationwide network will be similar to 4G. [DSS] is new technology and we’re continuing to modify it as we go. We expect performance improvement through 2021 and beyond,”
In the race to be first to the market, or boast about the biggest coverage, companies have been pulling off such marketing tactics. This is not to say that Verizon iPhone 12 users should not expect better performance. Verizon already has a UWB 5G system in place that is expanding rapidly, and does not rely on DSS. This is the real deal 5G network however, it does not have ‘nationwide’ coverage yet.
Below is a result of testing done by PC Magazine which shows how slow DSS 5G is, when compared to 4G, and how fast UWB 5G is for those who can access it. There is absolutely no good reason to keep 5G enabled, if you only get DSS 5G service in your area.
To check if you get DSS 5G or UWB 5G from Verzion, check the status bar on your iPhone 12 or Android smartphone. If it simply says 5G, you are getting the slow variant, and should disable 5G on your smartphone. If you see 5G UW, you are getting actual 5G speeds and should not make any changes.
For those of you who are Verizon iPhone 12 users and get DSS 5G service, here is how you can revert back to 4G:
- On your iPhone 12, go to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options
- Tap on Voice & Data
- Tap on LTE to switch to 4G
Not only will this change give you faster and more reliable 4G speeds, it will also save you more battery life as 5G consumes a lot more energy right now.
