By Chris Welch, Sep 12, 2019
As expected, Apple’s 2019 iPhone lineup does not include 5G technology, leaving the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 without the next-generation leap in mobile data speeds we’ve seen on recent smartphones from Samsung, LG, and OnePlus.
But Apple is wise in waiting another year before building 5G into the iPhone, and it’s got nothing to do with safety. 5G networks still feel like they’re very much in a preliminary stage, and only now are carriers starting to build any real momentum by bringing 5G to more cities across the US. But there are other obstacles and snags that led to Apple holding off another year — hopefully just one more — before integrating 5G into the iPhone.
GOOD LUCK FINDING 5G
Right now, the fledgling 5G networks of the major US carriers are in no shape to provide a consistent, satisfactory experience for consumers. Coverage is wildly spotty for Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. These companies are using millimeter-wave technology, which offers blistering-fast download speeds but poses significant challenges when it comes to blanketing cities with 5G signal. Millimeter-wave can’t match the range of LTE towers, requiring carriers to put up 5G “nodes” all over each city in which they offer service. “It will never materially scale beyond small pockets of 5G hotspots in dense urban environments,” T-Mobile CTO Neville Ray has said of millimeter-wave 5G.
I’ve tested Verizon’s 5G in Chicago twice and T-Mobile’s millimeter-wave network in New York City. With both carriers, 5G has blown me away with hard-to-believe speed, but coverage often exists on a block-by-block basis and is extremely sensitive to anything that comes between you and the millimeter wave nodes that make those instant downloads possible. And indoor coverage is nonexistent. AT&T’s story is likely the same, but I haven’t yet tested its 5G network since it’s only open to businesses and 5G software makers so far; regular customers can’t even get it. And in the majority of cases, uploads still fall back to LTE data speeds, so that half of the equation is underwhelming.
Sprint’s in a better spot because its 5G network rides on mid-band spectrum and already offers thorough coverage resembling that of LTE in neighborhoods where it has launched. But this approach also means it’s noticeably slower. Plus, it’s still limited to a handful of cities, and Apple isn’t going to build a 5G phone for the last-place US carrier — even if the device could’ve also helped its standing in China.
All of the US carriers are swearing up and down that they’ve got aggressive 5G buildout plans with long lists of cities due to be added over the coming months. I’ve got no doubt that 5G availability will expand significantly as we head into 2020, but I’m less confident I’ll be able to walk around Manhattan or San Francisco a year from now with seamless coverage everywhere. Even so, 5G will be in a much better place then than it is now, so waiting makes all the sense in the world…
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