iPhone 15 5G Experience – Benefits & Limitations

Apple has just introduced four 5G-enabled iPhone 15 models. The iPhone 15, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max all get support to 5G, the next generation wireless network technology that's expected to change the way people live and work. It goes without saying that 5G is a much faster cellular network than the existing 4G LTE networks. But should you pay for at least $699 (iPhone 15 mini) to get the iPhone 15 5G experience now? Well, we will suggest a wait-and-see approach to 5G. Or you can check this post for the benefits and limits of iPhone 5G network before buying.

iPhone 15 5G Benefits

• According to Apple, the speedy millimeter-wave (mmWave) 5G networks is supported by all iPhone 15 models, including iPhone 15 mini. Check Apple's frequency bands page, you can see the bands n260 (39 GHz) and n261 (28 GHz) is exclusive to the US only. Models in the US support millimeter wave, the higher frequency version of 5G, allowing iPhone 15 Pro models to reach speeds up to 4Gbps, even in densely populated areas (compatible with Verizon's new 5G Ultra Wideband network which as of today is available in 55 cities across the country.). Models sold outside the US are limited to sub-6GHz bands for 5G.

• Generally, the 5G network is expected to be 20x faster than 4G LTE networks. To be specific, mmWave 5G will deliver ultra-fast speeds at short distance. And the high-frequency mmWave 5G can promise truly incredible speeds around 50x faster than 4G. On the other hand, low-band is much more reliable but a lot less impressive for speed. Sub-6GHz 5G is more common in most 5G areas, but generally slower than mmWave. But it can send signals further.

• As Cook noted, iPhone 15 5G network will deliver faster downloads and uploads, improved video streaming, more responsive gaming, real-time interactivity and other benefit.

iPhone 15 5G Limitations

• Limited coverage. Your iPhone 15 5G experience is largely decided by the 5G network coverage. But in fact, the 5G coverage for 5G-enabled iPhone 15 is only available in very limited areas by far. To be specific:

1. T-Mobile expands its 5G network to about 250 million Americans in more than 7,500 cities and towns nationwide. It’s focused on mmWave stations and pushing 600MHz deployment of 5G.  
2. Verizon 5G is available today to more than 200 million people in 1,800 cities around the US. It offers 5G in and around many populated areas, with most of the country's land mass still covered by 4G but not 5G. It’s focused on super-high-frequency mmWave spectrum.
3. AT&T offers both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G spectrum bands. Its 5G is now available to more than 205 million consumers and the millimeter-wave 5G (5G Plus) is offered in 36 cities around the country.

• Data cap. When 5G is here to send 4K and HD content to your iPhone 15 faster, you'll also need more generous data caps. This is a practical problem that 5G iPhone 15 users have to deal with, as the data caps will burn through carrier limits really fast with the faster data. For your reference, data plans with 5G access from Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile range from $65 to $100.

• No killer app. There isn’t a strong enough reason to upgrade iPhone 15 5G experience just because it’s faster than 4G. Why? For average users, there isn’t any killer app that need that fast speed. For example, watching a video in 1080P and 4K on small screens like a smartphone won’t make too much difference. In other words, you don’t need iPhone 15 5G to speed up online streaming with YouTube and other services.

Should You Get 5G iPhone 15?

Is it worth paying a premium for a 5G iPhone 15 simply for faster movie streaming or clearer video calls? We would suggest average customers to wait for a couple of years. 5G is future-proofing and will become an important technology in a phone. But now, it’s likely you won't get a very good iPhone 15 5G experience due to the lack of towers, frequencies, and back-end technology. Maybe in 2024 when 5G is a commonplace.