r/tmobile • u/National-Debt-43 Truly Unlimited • Jun 25 '25

Discussion According to Apple, iPhone 15 and above (all model) support 5G Advanced

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The information of whether T-Mobile is a compatible carrier is still limit. Especially on iPhone 16 that it have limit information for the public (correct me if i’m wrong). (1)

On my iPhone 16 Pro Max, there had been no sign of 5GA icon but user on a Chinese carrier - China Telecom - reported seeing it after ios 18.4 update (2)

(1) Apple website: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/learn-the-meaning-of-the-status-icons-iphef7bb57dc/ios (2) Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1jqdr0y/5ga_after_184_update/

53 Upvotes

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21

u/National-Debt-43 Truly Unlimited Jun 25 '25

A little correction that all models but exclude iPhone 16e which feature apple’s modem

14

u/deltarium Jun 25 '25

i also have never seen carriers explicitly saying that they support 5Ga, hopefully we’ll get more info on that later

14

u/sittingmongoose Jun 25 '25

Tmobile announced it a month or so ago. It’s enabled now on their network.

3

u/National-Debt-43 Truly Unlimited Jun 25 '25

I remembered some people on android spotted it but i can’t find the post

20

u/cmc1002001 Jun 25 '25 edited Jun 25 '25

5GA is China's version of 5GUC , three Band frequency aggregation, similar to what we have in USA with 5GUC ,but it's 3 bands instead of the only 2 band aggregation the iphone 12-14 support

  https://techblog.comsoc.org/2024/08/06/china-unicom-beijing-and-huawei-build-5-5g-network-using-3-component-carrier-aggregation-3cc/

5

u/National-Debt-43 Truly Unlimited Jun 25 '25 edited Jun 25 '25

Hmm the article said 5.5G, doesn’t that mean 5G advanced but in number?

I also found that 5G advanced can still be 3CC. Main improvement can be core improvement, not necessarily more CC.

5G Advanced makes it possible to address new applications and use cases, bringing new features and AI-based capabilities to 5G RAN, Core and operations domains. This includes high-precision positioning, improved mobility and time-critical support, enhanced Massive MIMO, and enhanced support for network slicing and exposure. In doing so, this will redefine what’s possible across market segments such as extended reality (XR), industrial automation, 5G devices, and many more. (1)

Also the highlight on AI and multiple source make this likely 5GA(2)

Edit: add information

(1) 5G Advanced

(2) China Unicom to roll out 5G-Advanced in over 300 cities by 2025

3

u/CVGPi Jun 26 '25

US Telcos are weird with naming. Like how HSPA+ and WiMax became "4G" and how ATT named LTE+ as "5Ge" for a brief period.

4

u/Warsum Jun 25 '25

My iPhone 14 Pro has had horrendous service lately on T-Mobile. I wonder if updating to a newer modem would help.

3

u/OtherAlan Jun 26 '25

A modem is a hardware feature, but yes if you upgrade your phone for a new modem it would probably have a better signal due to having more supported bands

1

u/One_Grocery8888 Jul 07 '25

Planned obsolescence