The iPhone 12 has 5G, but we’re still not sure if we need it

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Apple last week gave users reasons to want a new iPhone 12, as much as every year. The camera is betterY also the processor. The screen, with its “ceramic shield” technology, it is more durable and there is even a IPhone 12 Pro Pacific Blue. Are now four new models to choose instead of three, and the the phone in general has been redesigned for the first time since 2017. Oh and you listened? All phones in the iPhone 12 line also come with 5G.

Next-generation cellular technology was front and center of Launch of Apple’s virtual iPhone Last Tuesday. Apple showed us its secret padded anechoic chamber where it tests 5G air waves and discussed the adjustments it has made to increase battery life on its 5G iPhones. It even brought out Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg to launch the carrier’s national low-band 5G network. (He kept his distance from Apple CEO Tim Cook while on stage.)

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But Apple, like essentially everyone else in the wireless industry, still didn’t actually give us a reason to need 5G in our phones right now, even in the $699 iPhone 12 Mini, $799 iPhone 12, $999 iPhone 12 Pro and $1,099 iPhone 12 Pro Max. It kept the pricing steady for its two highest-end devices but increased the iPhone 12’s cost by $100 over last year’s iPhone 11. For that same starting price, users now get a device with a smaller display — 5.4 inches in the Mini instead of the iPhone 11’s 6.1 inches. 

This all goes back to a broader problem the wireless industry has wrestled with since the debut of 5G nearly two years ago. Sure, there’s a boost in speed with 5G, but the increase most consumers are seeing now isn’t significant enough to really matter (and in some cases, 5G connections are no faster than 4G). Carriers have greatly expanded their networks, but the quality of service varies dramatically based on where you live. And with the novel coronavirus locking many of us down in our homes, the idea of higher speed on the go is irrelevant. Ultimately, 5G is expected to be a game-changer, but for many consumers right now, it’s just an extra cost.

“There’s no killer app for why you need to upgrade to 5G beyond it’s just faster than 4G,” said Logan Purk, an equity analyst with Edward Jones. “For the average consumer, that’s not a strong enough selling point to move into these higher-priced handsets and pay up for that technology.” 

For now, everyone continues to focus on speed. As Cook noted Tuesday, 5G “will bring a new level of performance for downloads and uploads, higher-quality video streaming, more responsive gaming [and] real-time interactivity. “He added that it improves security and privacy, as people can use 5G networks instead of public Wi-Fi connections.

“Today is the beginning of a new era for the iPhone,” Cook said during his keynote address. “This is a great time for all of us.”

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For many people, the fact that Apple has new iPhones is reason enough to buy them. The company, perhaps more than any other on the planet, has a loyal fan base that is updated every year. But it’s the rest of us, holding onto our phones for three years, who Apple has to woo.

You likely have consumers looking for 5G phones to “future-proof their purchase.” 5G may not be everywhere right now, but it will be common when people are ready for their next device. And while early 5G phones were limited by the networks they could access, newer 5G modems allow for unlocked phones and take advantage of all different types of technology.

If you bought a 5G phone last year, “I wasn’t ready for the future,” said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies. “But now you can buy 5G with confidence.”

5G ready or not

The entire iPhone 12 lineup features a new design reminiscent of Apple’s iPad Pro tablets. The flatter sides give iPhones a new feel for the first time in three years. All models come with a new, ultra-rugged Corning-designed front cover display called the “Ceramic Shield.” It’s “tougher than the glass in any smartphone,” Apple said, and four times less likely to crack if dropped. The new phones come with Apple’s updated A14 Bionic, the same chip that is in the new iPad Air. They also have problems with their camera capabilities.

None of the new iPhone 12 models are coming without 5G connectivity, whether or not you have 5G service in your area. Anyone who wants a device that is only 4G will have to go for an older model, such as the $ 399 iPhone SE or iPhone 11 from last year, now priced at $ 599. Or you can choose not to activate 5G service on your new iPhone 12 and take advantage of the device’s faster 4G capabilities.

That follows the same strategy that Samsung launched earlier this year. Starting with his Galaxy S20 lineup, all New Samsung flagship phones. in the US they come with 5G connectivity. However, outside of the US, Samsung still offers 4G models, something that ultimately hurt its position when it comes to 5G sales.

That won’t be the case with the iPhone 12. All markets will have 5G iPhones, although only the US versions are capable of connecting to ultra-fast but short-range millimeter wave networks.

While Samsung has launched a dozen 5G phones since its first device in early 2019, this year it will drop to No. 3 in terms of 5G phone shipments, according to Strategy Analytics. Apple, with less than three months of sales, will become number 2, after Huawei. And next year, Apple will be the world’s largest supplier of 5G phones, the firm said, largely because all of its new iPhones are 5G by default.

“There is no demand for 5G phones, just pressure from carriers and providers,” said Strategy Analytics analyst Ville-Petteri Ukonaho. “If people have a choice, they will continue to opt for 4G because there is no need for 5G. It doesn’t bring anything so revolutionary new to the table that people want 5G phones.”

Together, all phone providers should ship around 273 million 5G phones in 2020, according to Strategy Analytics. And next year, Apple will ship 180 million 5G iPhones out of the total 670 million 5G phones on the market, the firm said.

While Apple and the carriers will do their best to make sure 5G works, it’s not up to them to make us want it. Ultimately, it will be up to developers and what they actually do with 5G which will make it a must have. Note that Apple’s adoption of 4G helped popularize apps like Uber and Airbnb or services like live streaming, and many expect the same to happen with 5G.

“Each generation of cellular network technology on the iPhone has enabled revolutionary innovations and entirely new opportunities for developers and our users,” Cook said. “And 5G is the most exciting step yet.”