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The Empty Promise of the iPhone 12
Don’t get too hyped on 5G — if you’re in the U.S., anyway
Apple on Tuesday announced that its new lineup of iPhones will support 5G networks. But while Apple — and special guest Hans Vestberg, CEO of Verizon — hyped the inclusion of fifth-generation wireless technology in its new handsets as a major game-changer, U.S. consumers expecting earth-shattering improvements in wireless connectivity may be left disappointed.
Wireless carriers have worked overtime to portray 5G as an incredible revolution in modern communications. Companies like Verizon have called the technology the “fourth industrial revolution,” claiming that the standard will usher forth everything from the smart cities of tomorrow to revolutionary cancer treatments.
In reality, consumers should think of 5G as more of a modest evolution than a radical revolution — and take this week’s marketing hype with a grain of salt or two.
Under ideal circumstances, 5G can be incredibly fast. Data from wireless testing firm RootMetrics has recorded peak speeds as fast as 1 Gbps, far faster than 4G’s maximum speed of around 100 Mbps, and comparable to many fixed fiber broadband connections.
But so far, reality isn’t matching up to carrier hype, at least in the United States.
U.S. consumers already pay some of the highest prices in the developed world for mobile data. In exchange, Americans also see significantly slower 4G LTE speeds than consumers in a long line of other countries. So far, 5G isn’t changing either equation.
An August report by wireless testing firm OpenSignal found the United States ranked dead last in average download speeds in a 12 country survey. Additional research has found that in many locations, U.S. 5G isn’t providing much, if any, speed improvement over 4G.
