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All AT&T phones with 5G C-Band support and network speed tests vs 4G LTE

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Jan 28, 2022, 10:04 AM

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All AT&T phones with 5G C-Band support and network speed tests vs 4G LTE

Recently, AT&T scooped up the lion's share of the FCC's 5G spectrum auction in the C-Band frequencies, on top of a $23 billion range it already amassed earlier. Verizon didn't take part in that fall auction, but only because it already grabbed more than $45 billion worth in previous ones.

Both Verizon and AT&T have now lit up their mid-band 5G networks with the newly acquired spectrum; Verizon's 5G network expansion was in 46 markets, while AT&T covered 8 major markets with its newly deployed C-Band 5G network.

As you can see, nearly every major Samsung, Apple, or Google phone released in 2021, as well as all iPhone 12 models are able to take advantage of the newly minted AT&T 5G C-Band network, so you are not left without options.

AT&T has even more 5G C-Band capable phones than Verizon whose Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro models are yet to be certified for unlocking the 5G frequencies in question. It's worth noting that even the lowly Galaxy A13 5G specs of Samsung support AT&T's C-Band network which expands access to the new network's speeds to budget 5G phones. Needless to say, when the Galaxy S22 series that is already up for reservations hits the shelves, there will be three new Samsung phones with 5G C-Band support on AT&T.

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AT&T 5G C-Band vs 5G low-band vs 4G LTE network speed tests

One of these major markets that AT&T unfurled the C-Band over is Chicago, and Sascha Segan's PCMag team headed there to test the newfangled midband wonder of AT&T, just like it did with Verizon's new 5G deployment in New York recently, and these are their key takeaways:

Verizon's new coverage map says it's blanketing more than 46 metro areas with C-band, AT&T only lists eight—and it doesn't have maps.
C-band offers the boost that AT&T needs. Download speeds on the C-band site were triple our average AT&T speeds in the rest of Chicago.
Low band 5G in Chicago didn’t give us any advantage over 4G performance compared to the boosts we saw from C-band 5G.
AT&T's 40MHz C-band channel is twice as big as the largest possible 4G channel, so it makes a real difference in performance. In comparison, Verizon uses 60MHz C-band channels and T-Mobile uses 100MHz, non-C-band.
AT&T is willing to let Verizon take the big C-band related headlines for now, while it plans to accelerate its buildout in the second half of 2022 and through 2023.

While the speeds tested were times above the rest of AT&T's network in the Windy City, the C-Band 5G coverage is few and far between still. If you are lucky enough to live in the reach of one of Ma Bell's C-Band-spreading towers, though, and happen to have one of the phones in the list above that support it, you'll be in for a treat.

Of note is that the low-band 5G network of AT&T, just like the low-band 5G networks of T-Mobile or Verizon, didn't exhibit faster speeds compared to the carrier's robust 4G network that was shamefully depicted with a 5GE (for Evolution) icon on AT&T phones when 5G was still a twinkle in its engineers' eyes. AT&T got in regulatory trouble about it as a misleading claim, but in fact it's 4G LTE network is indeed "Enhanced" in comparison with low-band 5G that reaches far but not fast.

Here's how AT&T explains its low- vs mid- vs high-band 5G network differences:

AT&T’s low-band 5G is fast and can travel farther than AT&T’s high-band 5G+ and penetrate through buildings and objects.
AT&T’s mid-band 5G+ (C-Band) fills the gap between the two current bands by traveling farther than high-band 5G+ and providing faster speeds than low-band.
High-band 5G+ (mmWave) provides lightning-fast speeds, but has limited reach so is used primarily in stadiums and high-traffic areas like entertainment districts.

Moreover, AT&T's particular low-band 5G implementation rages over a tiny 5MHz sliver of spectrum, letting much less data through compared to its Wild West of a 4G LTE coverage. The new C-Band spectrum deployment doubles even the best 4G LTE spread in its turn, which explains why it delivered the download speeds you see in the chart below.

AT&amp;T's 5G C-Band network delivers in Chicago (via PCMag) - All AT&T phones with 5G C-Band support and network speed tests vs 4G LTE

AT&T's 5G C-Band network delivers in Chicago (via PCMag)

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.