Which iPhones support 5G? (2024)

5G is the biggest and most important smartphone upgrade in a long time, and with5G coverageNow it's widespread, and it's an almost essential part of new phones, including new iPhones.

So if you're already an iPhone owner, or are considering buying one, you might be wondering whether the phone you have – or the one you want – supports 5G.

The good news is that the answer to both questions is probably yes at this point, as all recent iPhones work with 5G, including the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max,iPhone 14,iPhone 14 Plus,iPhone 14 Pro,iPhone 14 Pro Max, IniPhone SE (2022)among many others.

But not all older models do that, and Apple was actually quite late in offering it5G phones, so you don't have to go back too far to find 4G iPhones (see full details in the table below).

This split between 4G and 5G iPhones means your iPhone choice has never been more important – although since the launch of the iPhone 15 series and iPhone SE (2022), the number and choice of 5G models is now vast .

Below you'll find all the details on Apple's 5G iPhones, along with details on the mobile data speeds of all other recent iPhones and some of the top alternative 5G phones to consider if you don't choose Apple.

Which iPhone models support 5G?

View all 5G iPhone deals

iPhone 15 series, iPhone 14 series, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 13 series and iPhone 12 series all support 5G, which means you can get 5G with iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

None of the previous iPhone models support 5G, and they never will. It includes iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max and iPhone SE 2020.

However, it's all but guaranteed that all future iPhones will support 5G, with the next models expected to be the iPhone 16 and its siblings - although we don't expect them until late 2024.

Callsthe first 5G phones also came out much later than Android rivals, which may seem strange, but below you'll find an explanation as to why that is, along with all the other information you need about 5G on iPhone.

What maximum speeds do the different iPhones support?

The iPhone 12 series all support 5G as mentioned, with Apple claiming they can theoretically reach speeds of up to 4Gbps in real-world conditions. The iPhone 15, 14 and iPhone 13 series also support 5G and are expected to have the same theoretical speeds, although Apple has not confirmed this at the time of writing.

Apple also claimed that the iPhone 12 series supported more 5G bands than any other smartphone at the time of launch, and that the iPhone 15, 14 and 13 series support even more than that - meaning these phones should be able to use the full 5G band. potential for multiple networks worldwide.

The iPhone SE (2022), meanwhile, will likely offer slightly slower 5G. Apple doesn't specify speeds, but says it offers '5G cellular' connectivity and 2x2 MIMO. The other 5G iPhones, meanwhile, offer 'Superfast 5G Cellular' connectivity and 4x4 MIMO, with MIMO being a technology that can multiply the capacity of a connection. Check out ours'What is massive MIMO technology?' guidefor all the details.

As for the older models, none support 5G, but the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max support Gigabit LTE, which is a very fast form of 4G, which in this case uses 4x4 MIMO (which means a greater number of antennas ). than standard) 4G) and can reach maximum download speeds of 1.6 Gbps or 1,600 Mbps.

Technically, the iPhone 11, iPhone XS and iPhone

This theoretically makes the iPhone 11 Pro series significantly faster than the iPhone XS series, as well as the iPhone SE (2020) – which is also Cat 16 – and several times faster than the iPhone versions include 12 LTE modems.

This high performance is starting to enter the 5G circuit. However, real-world speeds are still typically much slower, both than the maximum theoretical speeds offered by these iPhones and than current 5G speeds.

Furthermore, 5G speeds are expected to improve over time as infrastructure improves and networks gain traction5G spectrum at auction. 5G at this point will typically be at least several times faster than even the speeds you're likely to get from the iPhone 11 Pro, like our5G Speed ​​Guideexplains, and in the future the gap will only widen.

So if you really want next-gen speeds, go for an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone SE ( 2022), iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max 5G Dual SIM-tilbud

Why has it taken Apple so long to launch a 5G iPhone?

It wasn't that surprising that we only got a 5G iPhone at the end of 2020. While Apple is often at the forefront of its design innovations, it is known to be slow to adopt new third-party connectivity standards. Historically, the company has tended to wait until new standards are relatively mature and well on their way to mass market adoption before considering implementing them.

The way Apple is handling the transition to 3G and 4G provides ample evidence of this. The company didn't equip the first iPhone with 3G connectivity when it launched in 2007, despite the first commercially available 3G networks going live worldwide in 2002 and 2003. It wasn't until the launch of the aptly named iPhone 3G in 2008 that Apple adopted the then-established mobile networking standard.

Apple was also late to the party when it came to 4G. When the 4G-ready iPhone 5 hit the market in 2012, consumers already had about two years of experience with 4G Android phones.

Even the iPhone

Additionally, Apple spent much of 2018 and 2019 in a legal battle with Qualcomm – the company that produces the 5G modems for the first 5G iPhones. Everything has now been arranged, but there may well have been delays. Such as the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

What other 5G phones are there?

Although only the iPhone 15 series, iPhone 14 series, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 13 series and iPhone 12 series support 5G, there are tons of 5G Android phones with multiple landings all the time.

These includeSamsung Galaxy S23,Samsung Galaxy S23Plus,Samsung Galaxy S23Ultra,Samsung Galaxy S22,Samsung Galaxy S22Ultra,Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5,Samsung Galaxy Z-Flip 5,Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4,Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4,Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, OnePlus 11, OnePlus 10 Pro, OnePlus Nord 2, Huawei Mate 40 Pro,Xiaomi-13,Xiaomi 13Pro,Google Pixel fold,Google Pixel7,Google Pixel 7 Pro,Google Pixel6, Sony Xperia 1 IV, Sony Xperia 5 IV, Sony Xperia 1 III, Sony Xperia 5 III,Motorola Edge 20 Pro,Moto G 5G Plus,Oppo Find X5,Oppo Find X5Pro, and many others – including some older, lower-end and more niche handsets than the examples mentioned.

In fact, most mid- and high-end Android phones are now launching with 5G support, and some low-end phones do too, so it's almost become a standard feature on recent handsets.

New phones with 5G are also constantly being released.

Compare 5G phone deals

Should I buy a 5G iPhone?

If you're a fan of the iPhone and have 5G coverage where you live and/or work, then sure. Even if you don't have 5G coverage where you are now, it's worth getting a 5G phone if you plan to upgrade so you can future-proof yourself. With the latest iPhones supporting 5G, they are the obvious option to upgrade to.

The only reasons not to buy a 5G iPhone are if you're happy with Android, happy with 4G, or want to save money.

There are plenty of good 5G Android phones out there, as mentioned above, so you have plenty of other options if you're open to them. Some of them are also cheaper than even the iPhone SE (2022) - we're thinking of phones like the OnePlus Nord 2 and Moto G 5G Plus, so they can help save money too.

In the meantime, if you're more than happy with 4G, you could consider the relatively affordable iPhone SE (2020), but most flagships and many mid-range phones now come with 5G, so whether you buy Apple or Android, do so. you not. necessarily have to spend a little extra to get it.