iPhone 12 Lineup's mmWave 5G Support Limited to the United States
As expected, the entire iPhone 12 lineup is compatible with faster 5G networks, but Apple's website confirms that support for high-frequency mmWave bands is limited to models sold in the United States. This includes compatibility with Verizon's new 5G Ultra Wideband network, which as of today is available in 55 cities across the country.
mmWave is supported on all iPhone 12 models sold in the United States, ranging from the iPhone 12 mini to the iPhone 12 Pro Max. iPhone 12 models sold in all other countries and regions are limited to sub-6GHz bands for 5G.
mmWave is a set of 5G frequencies that promise ultra-fast speeds at short distances, making it best suited for dense urban areas. By comparison, sub-6GHz 5G is generally slower than mmWave, but the signals travel further, better serving suburban and rural areas. In most countries that offer 5G, sub-6GHz networks are more common.
Apple says iPhone 12 models support more 5G bands than any other smartphone, and the devices can automatically adjust to LTE when necessary to save battery life, such as when updates are taking place in the background.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro pre-orders begin Friday, October 16 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time, with shipments starting Friday, October 23. The smaller 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and larger 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max are launching later, with pre-orders beginning Friday, November 6 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time and shipments starting Friday, November 13.
Top Stories
Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max is among the best smartphones of 2021 and is the top iPhone of the year, according to new smartphone rankings shared today by Consumer Reports.
The faster A14 processor, OLED display, camera technology, and 5G connectivity earned it one of the top slots, with Consumer Reports recommending the 12 Pro Max over other options because of the longer battery life, larger...
Apple is planning to increase the availability of 5G mmWave capable iPhone models to more countries around the world with the release of the iPhone 13 later this year, offering even more customers access to the faster and newer technology, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
In a research note obtained by MacRumors, Kuo says that infrastructure for mmWave technology will increase...
T-Mobile has plans to rapidly expand the availability of 5G across the United States, with the company aiming to offer "Ultra Capacity 5G" to 90 percent of Americans by the end of 2023.
"Ultra Capacity 5G" includes T-Mobile's mid-band and millimeter wave 5G connectivity, with the company also planning to offer slower "Extended Range 5G" across 97 percent of the U.S. by the end of 2022.
As ...
While we are likely at least six months away from Apple unveiling the so-called iPhone 13 lineup, rumors about the devices are starting to accumulate, so we've put together this recap of everything that is expected so far.
The upcoming iPhone 13 lineup will consist of the same four models and the same screen sizes as the iPhone 12 lineup, according to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo,...
Verizon today unveiled a new unlimited plan designed to allow prepaid customers to access Verizon's fastest 5G network for $75 per month.
As noted by The Verge, the plan is priced at $10 more than the standard unlimited prepaid plan and provides access to Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network, which is the fastest available 5G that can be accessed in a limited number of cities. It also...
More than 50% of iPhone 13 models set to be shipped later this year will support mmWave, according to a paywalled preview of a DigiTimes report, in line with rumors that mmWave will be supported in more regions.
"Apple will launch its next-generation iPhone series - tentatively dubbed the iPhone 13 - later in 2021, according to industry sources, which believe that more than 50% of the total...
The iPhone 13 lineup may expand faster mmWave 5G connectivity to more countries outside the United States, according to Taiwanese supply chain sources cited by Patently Apple.
The report claims that a Taiwanese company called Qiqi is in the process of receiving a "large order" for mmWave antennas destined for the iPhone 13 lineup, which may explain Qiqi chairman Xie Hongbo's announcement...
Verizon is planning to shut down its 3G network at the end of 2022, effectively ending 3G support, the company announced today. Verizon has pushed back the sunsetting of its 3G network several times now, but it sounds like a concrete end date has finally been established.
We will turn off the last of the 3G CDMA network on December 31, 2022, months after our competitors have shut off their...
Apple's next-generation iPhone 13 lineup will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon X60 5G modem, with Samsung to handle manufacturing of the chip, according to DigiTimes.
Built on a 5nm process, the X60 packs higher power efficiency into a smaller footprint compared to the 7nm-based Snapdragon X55 modem used in iPhone 12 models, which could contribute to longer battery life. With the X60 modem, iPhone...
Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max held the title of most popular 5G smartphone in 49 of 50 U.S. states as of January 2021, according to PCMag, citing data from Speedtest.net parent company Ookla and research firm M Science.
The methodology behind the rankings:M Science directly tracks sales, and gave us cumulative sales figures up until Jan. 23. Ookla looks at the usage of its Speedtest apps on...
Top Rated Comments
Regardless I find it really stupid for Apple to make yet another thing "US-only". So many of Apple latest releases seem to be US-first making me feel like a lesser customer and user for not living in the US. Not to mention how mmWave is supposed to make production cost noticeably higher. So this basically means that Apple non-US customers are pretty much paying more for less when purchasing the iPhone 12 or 12 Pro.
There is an additional auction for long range 5G on 700MHz in the UK and parts of Europe (Italy?) but this isn't being used yet. According to https://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/cellular/ this band is also supported on on regional variants (n12 and n28).
Europe and Canadian model iPhones don't support mmWave (above 6-GHz) 5G. At this stage, there is no mmWave in Europe, although the EU (and UK?) are looking to license 26Ghz (n258) mmWave at some point. However, the US model does not support n258 - it supports n260 (39 GHz) and n261 (28 GHz) which are not in the pipeline for Europe. So the additional bands of the US model are pointless outside the US.
I note there also is the 600MHz 5G band which is supported in the Canadian (and US) version, but not in the European one... Not sure what the pipeline is for this?