Why your iPhone CAN’T get speedy 5G internet even if you pay for fancy 5G contract
GOT yourself a pricey new iPhone and ready to get going with super-fast 5G internet? We've got some bad news for you.
All Apple iPhone models released so far won't work with 5G – so don't waste your money on a 5G SIM card.
5G is the next generation of mobile internet, expected to deliver blisteringly fast download speeds – changing the way we use our handsets forever.
EE and Vodafone have already launched in the UK, and they're seriously impressive.
The Sun's early testing on EE suggests max speeds in London of around 400Mbps, which is around 10 times what you'd typically get from 4G internet in the UK.
But to enjoy 5G, you'll need a special 5G phone contract – and not all UK networks offer those yet.
Importantly, your current phone contract probably doesn't support 5G internet, unless you've upgraded very recently.
The big catch is that you also need a smartphone with a 5G chip inside.
This 5G modem lets your phone connect to 5G phone networks – and without it, you're stuck on 4G.
That means even with a 5G SIM card, your phone still can't access the right network without the correct chip inside.
The good news is that there's hope for a 5G iPhone...eventually.
Part of the reason experts think the 2019 iPhone won't have 5G is because a US firm called Qualcomm is the world's leader in 5G chips.
For years, Apple and Qualcomm have been locked in legal warfare – a battle that only ended recently.
But in late July 2019, Apple announced that it was buying Qualcomm rival Intel's modem division.
This means Apple will scoop up all of Intel's work on producing 5G modems.
That will allow Apple to create its own 5G modems in-house – and not rely on long-time enemy Qualcomm.
Experts now believe Apple is racing to get a 5G modem ready for its 2020 iPhone release.
"We believe Apple [is] going aggressive after 5G and can't risk missing out on consumers on this segment of the market," said Dan Ives, expert analyst at Wedbush Securities, speaking to The Sun earlier this year.
5G internet – what is it?
Here’s what you need to know...
- 5G is the next generation of mobile phone networks
- Just like 4G made your mobile internet faster and more reliable compared to 3G, 5G will do the same again
- Phone networks across the UK are currently scrambling to introduce 5G phone speeds for Brits
- Typical 4G speeds today will typically fall between 50Mbps and 100Mbps
- But early 5G speeds will raise this bar to several hundred megabits-per-second
- And once 5G networks are advanced, you’ll expect to enjoy gigabit-per-second speeds
- However, you’ll need to upgrade your phone plan to a 5G tariff
- Also, not all smartphones support 5G internet – they’ll need to have a 5G-ready modem inside
- We’re only now starting to see 5G smartphones in 2019, so older phones won’t support the new speeds
- Many top phone makers have committed to making (or already launched) 5G-ready smartphones
- These include Samsung, Huawei, OnePlus, LG and Oppo
MOST READ IN TECH
We reveal the 5G phones you can already buy in the UK today.
It's also possible that Apple might launch the iPhone 11 with support for 5G later this year.
And the rumoured Sony Xperia XZ4 has also been tipped as a major 5G contender.
Would the lack of 5G put you off buying an iPhone this year? Let us know in the comments!
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