iPhone 12 review | Is 5G worth the iPhone 12 price?

As difficult as 5G is to explain, companies like Apple and Verizon promote technology in a big way–Perhaps that’s only natural. When 5G works, it will be amazing. Network geeks (like me) who also buy Apple products are excited to see the iPhone with this new feature. But the “when it works” part of this deal will require patience from all of us.

5G speeds of 1 Gbit/s or higher, which allow you to download TV seasons in seconds, are rare. But even the slower 5G is a significant improvement over 4G/LTE.

limits of physics

The “G” in 4G and 5G on the corner of the phone stands for “generation” and refers to the different stages of the cell phone tower infrastructure. (If LTE comes up in a conversation, LTE stands for “Long Term Evolution.”)

If you’re using a smartphone or tablet without Wi-Fi, while you’re driving or walking around, your device connects to cell towers that are wired to the wider Internet. With 4G/LTE, those towers transmit radio waves like sprinklers. Once the device is connected, two-way communication begins.

4G/LTE signals typically have wavelengths from about 700 megahertz up to 2.5 gigahertz (GHz). Obstacles such as terrain or buildings can interfere and slow the connection, but the signal still gets to and from your device. 5G signals have shorter wavelengths than 20 GHz and can carry more data, making videos and file transfers load much faster. However, these higher wavelengths cannot easily avoid obstacles, so the device must be placed closer to the base station. If your router asks you to choose between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, it’s because 2.4 GHz is slower but better at passing through walls. 5 Ghz can transfer more data faster, but works best with line-of-sight connections.

The iPhone 12 aluminum case has cutouts for 4G and 5G antennas. The edges where these notches are set are angular, and this is the first time since iPhone 5 that this design has been used.

I actually tried using 5G

In practice, this means that you need to stand fairly close to the node (usually a gray box on top of a telephone pole) that is transmitting the YouTube video and hold a device with a 5G-specific antenna. means. Once inside the house or around a corner, the signal returns to his 4G. These simple physics make it difficult to accept Verizon and T-Mobile’s coverage maps, which show unbroken coverage over vast tracts of land, as realistic. For example, I’m skeptical that the entirety of downtown Philadelphia is in range of his 5G, given that the signal can be interfered with when you’re inside a building. Yes, these numbers will become more realistic as carriers install more nodes. But it will be years before 5G becomes as popular as 4G.

The good news is that 5G is available in some places. And when it does, it’s fast. We used SpeedTest to achieve download speeds of 125 Mbps inside a spacious but structurally enclosed food hall in a small college town in Pennsylvania. While this doesn’t match the 1,000 Mbps speeds he gets at some of his 5G locations, it’s still more than twice as fast as his Wi-Fi at home, which he uses for Xbox Live multiplayer. . This equates to apps that can be downloaded in seconds or YouTube videos that don’t require buffering. The 12 is even more valuable to iPhone users whose days are enriched by such lightning-fast connectivity. Even if it only worked in some places, and for things I do that are mostly trivial (loading movies and music before a flight, retrieving attachments from a huge email archive) Even if you only use it for a few days, 5G is a practical feature and, for some people, worth the upgrade.

Once again, when things went well. As I sat by the window at home a few hundred yards from that market, I saw her 5G bar in the top right corner with his four, and the download speed was the same, over 100 Mbps. However, the speed was cut in half in the bathroom. In outdoor parking spaces, it was cut in half again and back to 4G. And even when 5G was working, upload speeds (useful for things like live streaming) never came close to download speeds. Everything is fine. We’ve been surviving on his 4G/LTE for years. But with any new technology, it’s easy to get irrationally angry when it doesn’t work as advertised, especially if it’s a major selling point for the product. Admittedly, the iPhone has a bit of a passing grade here. For someone like me who needs a smartphone and prefers his Apple products, his 12’s 5G support is almost ancillary. 5G isn’t, and probably shouldn’t be, the main reason most customers pay for an upgrade. But for those upgrading because their old phone’s battery died, or for those who want a better camera for road trips, the 12’s 5G support will be a welcome addition. The question is whether it’s worth hundreds of dollars more than the previous generation iPhone.

The iPhone 12 has a magnet on the back that attaches to the proprietary MagSafe charger, which is sold separately. It also comes with a USB-C-to-Lightning cable, but not a USB-C wall plug, frustrating customers who don’t have a USB-C wall plug and need to buy it separately for $20. there is.

iPhone 12 without 5G

If 5G becomes as ubiquitous as advertised, this new era of devices will feel like the leap that companies like Apple, Samsung, and Verizon are talking about. But all that aside, the iPhone 12 still serves as a paragon of modern smartphones. OLED display provides rich and comfortable video viewing. The bezels are so thin that the display feels like it’s floating. Even without a mask (it’s 2020 after all), Face ID works quickly every time. And in my week with the 12, I didn’t find any apps or workflows that could tax the A14 chip.

The 12’s new magnetic charging system also works as advertised, leading to convenient integration with charging car mounts and other accessories. That said, I wish the iPhone designers had followed suit with his iPad Air and his Android phones and given the 12 his USB-C port instead of keeping the Lightning charging system. I think. My ideal that he would only need one type of cable (USB-C and wall plug) to charge his phone, headphones, Nintendo Switch, and laptop will have to wait until at least the next generation.

Right now, anyone buying an iPhone 12 or 12 Pro will need to provide their own plug into a 120V wall outlet. Only a USB-C-to-Lightning cable is included in the iPhone 12 box. If you don’t already have a Lightning charger or USB-C plug, or want to use the included cable or MagSafe pack, you’ll need to pay $20 for each. (I carry an Anker Nano for this).

As always, Apple’s camera system is industry-leading. Apple uses software to compensate for the limitations of the small sensor size, so it works well in low light.

That aside, I’ve owned and professionally tested every iPhone since the 4S. These issues prevent him from recommending the 12 to anyone who lives near 5G reception and is happy with its speeds. Those who, like me, have an unreasonable need to have in their hands the fastest, smoothest smartphones on sale will appreciate its performance.

But most consumers are different from me. When friends and family ask, I have and will almost always direct them to Apple’s refurbished site and recommend a previous-generation model with at least 128 GB of storage. When handled properly, phones are fast, useful for almost everything you need, and cost hundreds of dollars less.

But if you can accept that being an early adopter of 5G will primarily mean experiencing a pleasant surprise with incredible performance, it’s worth the 12.

Apple iPhone 12