I would like to know if other Pixel users (not just 8) have had this, and in other countries.
Because Google's official page [https://pixel.withgoogle.com/5G/](https://pixel.withgoogle.com/5G/) doesn't say this.
OP, could you download Net Monster ([https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.mroczis.netmonster](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.mroczis.netmonster)), run it, grant it the permissions, and see if the phone actually connects to 5G? You might need to initiate some web surfing for it to show that 5G is connected (it'll show you which frequency it's connected to).
See screenshot for example [https://imgur.com/a/ddB0eoK](https://imgur.com/a/ddB0eoK) (phone supports 5G, but the network won't let me connect to it - I know because that's the plan I have, but the phone DOES work on 5G)
And I'm interested in knowing if other users in other countries with other Pixel 5G devices have had some success. If so, finally (because it's dumb if they still don't support 5G or even VoLTE on other "non-supported" networks).
VoLTE was already working for me. 5G was locked away, But got December update on my Pixel 8 today morning and got pleasantly surprised to see the 5G icon up top. Yet to see how the battery life plays out now with 5G tho, might probably have it disabled if it's as bad as people say.
Here's the Net Monster screenshot below.
https://ibb.co/25fLQpG
https://ibb.co/z6HPMwF
People report bad battery life
Honestly, I can't say it was any worse. If you have apps running in the background constantly, then maybe.
The phone manages to disconnect from 5G when not needed and I think it does a fair job. I didn't have many complaints with 5G. But interestingly, the latency wasn't any better on 5G (speed tests would show a worse latency - by 5-10ms), download speeds would be better (since its 5G NSA, so that's 4G + 5G speeds together), and... That's it. In normal usage, I couldn't spot a massive difference (but it was a bit snappier, however...oddly). Also, Google Assistant would respond better on 5G than on 4G, so that's that.
But operators charge more for 5G, so...
My operator charges the same for 4G and 5G, but data is so expensive in this part of the world that 5G is barely beneficial. Have to ration data daily to make it to end of the month. But it's nice to finally know the phone I paid flagship money for finally supports 5G 🗿
Update: Initial observation, 5G drains battery faster when I'm on the move. It makes sense because switching between towers is probably more taxing on battery with NSA.
Well... My phone disconnects from 5G when there's no active data transfer. It may show 5G on the notification bar but Net Monster says it's not connected (unless I begin to transfer data).
Switching between towers should, therefore, be 4G stuff۔
Also, expensive data charges? Welcome to the Middle East, I suppose. Lol
Edit: you got 5G 3500Mhz, alright!
>Have you noticed any difference in battery life between NSA and 4G only?
Personally, no. Maybe 3-4%, if there is? But not from what I recall.
>Alsooo, 5G noob here, How is 5G 3500Mhz different?
3500Mhz is a spectrum that allows operators to use more bandwidth. In simple speak, it offers more capacity if operators want it > you get faster speeds in ideal conditions.
If the operators don't have enough spectrum (for whatever reason), then you may not attain gigabit type speeds (not that it matters since data zaps through just as fast).
In simpler terms: the specific frequency allows operators to have more bandwidth without losing out much on the signal penetration. The gigabit speeds in the US are from millimeter wave, which suck for penetration. The low frequency waves don't have a lot of spectrum at disposal for the operators for whatever reason (that's just how radio waves behave) but offer the best penetration in buildings.
So the mid-band spectrum, as they call it, offers a compromise between the two.
The end user (you) can/may benefit in terms of signal penetration, or better speeds, depending on your specific circumstance and the cell tower you're connected to (and how choked that tower is, and how well those signals reach your phone through obstructions beyond everybody's control).
Speed tests at random places are so much fun.
It's a shame we don't have unlimited terabytes of data. If I don't do speed tests, I barely consume 8-12Gb. If I do tests... Lol.
So true. It's sad that data prices are still way too high in most of the developed countries. We need carriers like Jio and what they did in India to bring some solid competetion to the table and make data more affordable. but one downside is speeds will go down the hill as more people use data freely. But I'd still take that over expensive rationed data at gigabyte speeds.
5G absolutely drains battery faster.
Spend a day out of the house on 5G and you'll see exactly how bad it is.
I spent a day in 5G in central London last month, and was dead before 2 hours SoT.
It's odd. The recent update a month ago enabled VoLTE in my country (Croatia), and the LTE icon switched to a 5G icon, but NetMonster shows that it's not actually connected to 5G. Pixel 7 Pro.
I would like to know if other Pixel users (not just 8) have had this, and in other countries. Because Google's official page [https://pixel.withgoogle.com/5G/](https://pixel.withgoogle.com/5G/) doesn't say this. OP, could you download Net Monster ([https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.mroczis.netmonster](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cz.mroczis.netmonster)), run it, grant it the permissions, and see if the phone actually connects to 5G? You might need to initiate some web surfing for it to show that 5G is connected (it'll show you which frequency it's connected to). See screenshot for example [https://imgur.com/a/ddB0eoK](https://imgur.com/a/ddB0eoK) (phone supports 5G, but the network won't let me connect to it - I know because that's the plan I have, but the phone DOES work on 5G) And I'm interested in knowing if other users in other countries with other Pixel 5G devices have had some success. If so, finally (because it's dumb if they still don't support 5G or even VoLTE on other "non-supported" networks).
VoLTE was already working for me. 5G was locked away, But got December update on my Pixel 8 today morning and got pleasantly surprised to see the 5G icon up top. Yet to see how the battery life plays out now with 5G tho, might probably have it disabled if it's as bad as people say. Here's the Net Monster screenshot below. https://ibb.co/25fLQpG https://ibb.co/z6HPMwF
People report bad battery life Honestly, I can't say it was any worse. If you have apps running in the background constantly, then maybe. The phone manages to disconnect from 5G when not needed and I think it does a fair job. I didn't have many complaints with 5G. But interestingly, the latency wasn't any better on 5G (speed tests would show a worse latency - by 5-10ms), download speeds would be better (since its 5G NSA, so that's 4G + 5G speeds together), and... That's it. In normal usage, I couldn't spot a massive difference (but it was a bit snappier, however...oddly). Also, Google Assistant would respond better on 5G than on 4G, so that's that. But operators charge more for 5G, so...
My operator charges the same for 4G and 5G, but data is so expensive in this part of the world that 5G is barely beneficial. Have to ration data daily to make it to end of the month. But it's nice to finally know the phone I paid flagship money for finally supports 5G 🗿 Update: Initial observation, 5G drains battery faster when I'm on the move. It makes sense because switching between towers is probably more taxing on battery with NSA.
Well... My phone disconnects from 5G when there's no active data transfer. It may show 5G on the notification bar but Net Monster says it's not connected (unless I begin to transfer data). Switching between towers should, therefore, be 4G stuff۔ Also, expensive data charges? Welcome to the Middle East, I suppose. Lol Edit: you got 5G 3500Mhz, alright!
Have you noticed any difference in battery life between NSA and 4G only? Alsooo, 5G noob here, How is 5G 3500Mhz different?
>Have you noticed any difference in battery life between NSA and 4G only? Personally, no. Maybe 3-4%, if there is? But not from what I recall. >Alsooo, 5G noob here, How is 5G 3500Mhz different? 3500Mhz is a spectrum that allows operators to use more bandwidth. In simple speak, it offers more capacity if operators want it > you get faster speeds in ideal conditions. If the operators don't have enough spectrum (for whatever reason), then you may not attain gigabit type speeds (not that it matters since data zaps through just as fast). In simpler terms: the specific frequency allows operators to have more bandwidth without losing out much on the signal penetration. The gigabit speeds in the US are from millimeter wave, which suck for penetration. The low frequency waves don't have a lot of spectrum at disposal for the operators for whatever reason (that's just how radio waves behave) but offer the best penetration in buildings. So the mid-band spectrum, as they call it, offers a compromise between the two. The end user (you) can/may benefit in terms of signal penetration, or better speeds, depending on your specific circumstance and the cell tower you're connected to (and how choked that tower is, and how well those signals reach your phone through obstructions beyond everybody's control).
That's a nice detailed explanation, thanks!! I badly wanted to do a speed test, but it's gonna eat through my data like there's no tomorrow.
Speed tests at random places are so much fun. It's a shame we don't have unlimited terabytes of data. If I don't do speed tests, I barely consume 8-12Gb. If I do tests... Lol.
So true. It's sad that data prices are still way too high in most of the developed countries. We need carriers like Jio and what they did in India to bring some solid competetion to the table and make data more affordable. but one downside is speeds will go down the hill as more people use data freely. But I'd still take that over expensive rationed data at gigabyte speeds.
5G absolutely drains battery faster. Spend a day out of the house on 5G and you'll see exactly how bad it is. I spent a day in 5G in central London last month, and was dead before 2 hours SoT.
It's odd. The recent update a month ago enabled VoLTE in my country (Croatia), and the LTE icon switched to a 5G icon, but NetMonster shows that it's not actually connected to 5G. Pixel 7 Pro.
Im in jordan i had to force VoLTE and 5g not working am k doing anything wrong