The 5G situation in the US is changing fast, and if you're on Verizon or T-Mobile, it's time to take advantage of the speedups. (AT&T subscribers, not so much. But wait until next year.)
For our Fastest Mobile Networks 2021 study this year, we traveled 10,000 miles and visited 30 cities across the US to check out the state of 5G. We found it's hugely different from last December, when we advised Verizon customers to turn off 5G because configuration problems in Verizon's network were causing slowdowns.
In fact, in almost all of the cities we tested, Verizon's "nationwide" 5G now gives your phone a nice little bump—maybe not a huge one, but a nice one nonetheless. Verizon hasn't changed anything about its spectrum or channels over the past six months. Rather, insiders tell me it has just smoothed out some configuration issues so the system is now performing how it should.
On T-Mobile, meanwhile, mid-band 5G means that there's a vast difference between 4G and 5G in most major cities. Low-band 5G means you may see similar improvements in rural areas. This chart shows the difference between 4G and 5G in the 30 cities we tested.
On AT&T, Wait Until Next Year
AT&T, on the other hand, seems to be having some of the configuration problems we saw with Verizon last year. So it would behoove AT&T users to turn off 5G for now and enjoy the carrier's excellent 4G network—here's how.
AT&T and Verizon will get major 5G boosts early next year, which may cause you to want to flip that switch back on. The boosts will come from adding new channels in the C-band, airwaves that the carriers bought this year but won't be eligible for activation until the beginning of 2022. If you follow our coverage, you'll know when C-band arrives and when to change your settings.
Of course, you can feel free to flip 5G on or off (if you have that option) based on your demands for data usage and battery life. While ideally, most 5G won't end up using more battery than 4G, the half-built 5G networks may have weaker signals, which can cause your phone's radio to strain, affecting the battery. Apple's "smart data" mode does its best to balance 5G and 4G, using 4G for background tasks but 5G for foreground demands. That can be a balance if you don't always need maximum speed.