Will Google’s New Pixel Phones Work With 5G? Yes and No.

Posted on by Katie
Will Google's New Pixel Phones Work With 5G Yes and No.

Apple iPhone and Samsung Galaxy meet Google’s new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones. The two latest devices from Google could rival these two phones listed above, and that’s pretty exciting. The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro have excellent cameras, fast processors, and sleek designs, but there’s one big question that could put these either at the front or the back of the pack…

Will the Pixel 6 phones work on the latest 5G networks? 

The answer isn’t a straightforward yes or no. The discrepancy comes from conflicting information on web pages for the phones. If you go to Google’s main Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro spec pages, you’ll find two different models listed with one supporting all 5G bands (high, mid, and low) and another that supports just Sub-6 (mid and low bands) and not mmWave (high). But, a support page says that Pixel 6 will support all 5G bands, whereas the Pixel Pro will just support the mmWave band. 

How Much Will the Pixel 6 Cost?

Verizon

So it’s clear that nothing is clear about what 5G bands each phone supports. And the confusion doesn’t end there. There are also some discrepancies overpricing of each phone. If you buy the Pixel 6 through Verizon, it’s $700, but if you buy the unlocked phone through Google, it’s only $600. BUT, the Pixel 6 Pro is about $900 from both Verizon and Google. Verizon has said that customers who purchase their phones through Verizon will work on all of its bands for its 5G network. 

AT&T

For AT&T subscribers, both devices will support mmWave and Sub-6 versions of 5G, but the pricing starts at $740 for the Pixel 6, and the Pixel Pro 6 will be $940. Both of which are substantially more than the unlocked versions Google has available. 

T-Mobile

T-Mobile offers its customers the Pixel 6 for $599- the same price as Google, but it only supports 5G on the mid-band and low-band. For the Pixel 6 Pro, T-Mobile supports all bands of 5G and is priced similarly to Google. 

Google did confirm to CNET that the unlocked Pixel 6 on its store will only support Sub-6 5G networks on all three US carriers, but that the Pixel 6 Pro will work on both mmWave and Sub-6 5G networks. 

AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all have live 5G networks, and each has its own flavor of 5G available for customers to use. T-Mobile holds the #1 spot in terms of 5G coverage, with most of its live 5G network using low and mid-band spectrum. AT&T and Verizon’s 5G networks are primarily built using mmWave spectrum (high-band) but will be deploying mid-band networks by the end of 2021 and into 2022. 

Google said that all unlocked Pixels would support a software update that will enable mid-band support, but it will ultimately be up to the carriers to certify the unlocked phones to work on their networks.  

So the final question becomes…

Should I buy the Pixel phone? 

Our advice would be to just purchase directly through your carrier. That way, you know your phone will work on its network now and in the future. 

Source: CNET