[ad_1]
Verizon has spent years promoting 5G despite a minor speed upgrade outside of limited areas where the millimeter wave spectrum has been deployed, but the operator’s support team advised for users yesterday to turn off 5G if their phones suffered from poor battery life.
The tweet of VZWSupport, now deleted, said: “Are you noticing that your battery life is running out faster than usual?” One way to conserve battery life is to enable LTE. Just go to Cellular> Cellular Data Options> Voice and Data and press LTE. ”
Although Verizon did not mention 5G in the tweet, people who responded to Verizon on Twitter and reporters writing articles noted that these instructions had the effect of disabling 5G. “LTE is active by default as a backup for times when 5G is not available. Following these instructions effectively turns off 5G,” noted Mashable. (Verizon’s instructions are for iOS, but it’s also possible to turn off 5G on Android phones.)
Apple fights 5G battery depletion with “Smart Data” mode
An Ars story in December 2018 warned that 5G components would take up valuable space inside smartphones, reducing the size of batteries. In October 2020, the Ars review of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro noted that “5G seems to have a big impact on battery life, especially when riding that super-fast mmWave.
Apple said it has implemented a “smart data mode” that switches every phone from 5G to LTE when 5G speeds are not needed, saving battery life while still allowing phones to use. 5G when increasing the speed would provide a noticeable difference. Enabling “5G Auto” in iPhone settings activates Smart Data mode; the other choices are “5G On” and “LTE”. Apple notes that 5G mode enabled “always uses the 5G network when available.” This can reduce battery life ”.
We have asked Verizon for more details on the impact of 5G on the battery life of its users and will update this article if we get a response.
Verizon’s tweet came just days after its latest 5G announcement that “parts of Sacramento, Seattle and Pensacola” are the new areas targeted by Verizon’s “aggressive deployment of its transformational 5G Ultra Wideband service.” Verizon also just pledged to spend $ 45.45 billion on an auction for the mid-band spectrum it plans to use with 5G.
Samsung and Huawei are also warning users of 5G battery drain
Other phone makers have acknowledged 5G-related battery drains on the support pages. Samsung tells users, “You may notice that your phone’s battery drains faster than usual when connected to a 5G network. This is a limitation of current 5G networks, and will be improved. as networks develop. ” Samsung’s support page continues:
At the moment, 5G networks are only used for data connections and are not yet capable of carrying phone calls and messages. Your phone will need to maintain a connection to the 3G or LTE network in addition to the 5G network so that phone calls, texts and data are transmitted consistently.
Since your phone is connected to multiple networks simultaneously, the battery drains faster than you might normally expect and the phone may get hotter than when it is only on 3G or LTE.
As 5G networks increase in capacity and capabilities, they will be able to handle more of your phone’s functions with less battery.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) supports the explanation of multiple networks. The jump between 3G, 4G and LTE consumes a lot of battery life, and “the current limited 5G infrastructure makes this situation worse. [battery-drain] problem, “says the IEEE.” Today’s 5G smartphones must maintain a connection to multiple networks in order to ensure consistent phone calls, text messages, and data transmission. And this multiplicity of connections contributes to battery drain. “
A Huawei support page tells users that they may run out of fuel faster on 5G than on 4G, especially when streaming videos. “On a 5G network, more bandwidth is needed to create a smooth user experience when using the Internet,” says Huawei. “As a result, more energy can be consumed, especially when using the Internet to watch videos online.”
The wireless industry rolled out 5G before operators were ready to use the “standalone 5G” version which does not require connection to 4G networks. But that is changing, as T-Mobile launched standalone 5G across much of the United States in August 2020, while Verizon and AT&T plan to do the same.
[ad_2]
Source link