Which iPhones Have 5G? A Simple Guide…

If you’re an iPhone user and you want 5G, you are limited to a select few models right now – here’s everything you need to know…

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Apple was fairly late to the 5G party. In 2019, we saw a slew of 5G-ready Android phones hit the market. Samsung had a few. OnePlus did too. And LG and Xiaomi. Apple gave 5G a miss in 2019, however, with its iPhone 11 lineup.

Even 2020’s iPhone SE 2020 release didn’t come with 5G. Instead, it relied on 4G LTE for mobile data, just like the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Apple didn’t believe the USA’s 5G networks were ready. It also felt the wider rollout of 5G in key markets like Europe and Asia wasn’t quite there either, so it held off on 5G until 2020, with the release of its iPhone 12 range.

Which iPhones Have 5G?

If you want a 5G iPhone, you are currently limited to the following models:

• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max

And that’s it. Literally. The iPhone 11 range does not support 5G, not even the Pro and the Pro Max. Is the iPhone 11 still worth buying in 2020? I think so, and I’ve argued why here.

But if you want 5G, you’re stuck with the iPhone 12 lineup. And they’re more expensive than the iPhone 11 range too. But they do all have OLED displays, 5G, and Apple’s new A14 CPU.

In 2021, all of Apple’s new iPhone 13 models will ship with 5G. And so too will the new iPhone SE, although that phone isn’t expected until mid-way through 2022.

Apple struggled with its implementation of 5G on the iPhone 12 series; the battery life was affected massively by 5G, resulting in the iPhone 11 lasting around four hours longer on a single charge than the iPhone 12.

With the iPhone 13 range, Apple is said to be fitting the new iPhones with bigger batteries in order to improve the battery life of all models. This means battery performance on the iPhone 13 range will likely be similar to what we got on the iPhone 11.

What Kind of 5G Does Apple’s iPhone 12 Run?

All of Apple’s iPhone 12 models run 5G, but if you’re in the US you’ll be able to access the even-faster millimetre wave 5G which was developed by Verizon. Outside the US, in the UK for example, Apple’s iPhone 12 run on the sub-6GHz frequencies, primarily between 3.4 and 3.6GHz.

What is Millimetre Wave 5G?

As with most things related to radio waves and the dissemination of mobile data, the technology required to deploy millimetre wave 5G is super complex – too hard to convey accurately in words (especially since I am no engineer). Instead, here’s a visual guide to what millimetre wave 5G is and how it is different from other forms of 5G.

Is 5G Dangerous? 

A lot of people are wary of 5G, following tons of bunk science being posted on social media and web forums. The claims, some of which are utterly bonkers, like the idea that 5G is being used to infect people with COVID, are, once again, examples of the internet running away with itself.

The simple fact you need to know about 5G is that the radiation it gives off is non-ionising. What does this mean? Well, ionising radiation – the type of radiation emitted by the sun and found in gamma rays – can and will damage DNA and causes cancer.

The radiation associated with 5G is non-ionising which means it does not have the required energy to damage DNA. Furthermore, both the WHO has and many other public bodies have signed-off on 5G and mobile phones, in general, as perfectly safe for use.

People are understandably concerned over whether they might elevate their risk of cancer, but it’s crucial to note that radio waves are far less energetic than even the visible light we experience every day – Dr David Robert Grimes, physicist and cancer researcher, speaking to the BBC.

What about the 2018 report that showed rats developing cancers after prolonged exposure to radiation? It happened, yes, but these rats were literally bathed in high doses of radio-frequency radiation for nine hours a day for two years.

Not only that, but some rats in the study were exposed while still in their mother’s bellies.

And that kind of exposure, over such a long period of time, will obviously cause some issues. Bizarrely, it didn’t seem to affect female rats negatively and all the rats that were exposed to the radiation lived longer than those in the control group.

The study’s lead concluded that, based on the findings, the level of radiation emitted by mobile phones – which is magnitudes lower – posed ZERO threat to human health. Even with prolonged use.

Supported iPhone 12 5G Bands in USA

• n1 (2100 MHz)
• n2 (1900 MHz)
• n3 (1800 MHz)
• n5 (850 MHz)
• n7 (2600 MHz)
• n8 (900 MHz)
• n12 (700 MHz)
• n20 (800 DD)
• n25 (1900 MHz)
• n28 (700 APT)
• n38 (TD 2600)
• n40 (TD 2300)
• n41 (TD 2500)
• n66 (AWS-3)
• n71 (600 MHz)
• n77 (TD 3700)
• n78 (TD 3500)
• n79 (TD 4700)
• n260 (39 GHz)
• n261 (28 GHz

Supported iPhone 12 5G Bands in UK

• n1 (2100 MHz)
• n2 (1900 MHz)
• n3 (1800 MHz)
• n5 (850 MHz)
• n7 (2600 MHz)
• n8 (900 MHz)
• n12 (700 MHz)
• n20 (800 DD)
• n25 (1900 MHz)
• n28 (700 APT)
• n38 (TD 2600)
• n40 (TD 2300)
• n41 (TD 2500)
• n66 (AWS-3)
• n77 (TD 3700)
• n78 (TD 3500)
• n79 (TD 4700)

And if you’re interested in picking one up, make sure you check out the latest and best deals for the iPhone 12 here – the best ones are loaded at the top (and the data is based on thousands of offers and deals).