Google says it has no plans to update the Pixel software 4a 5GAnd the 5or 5 a To support C-band 5G in the US, although it is also said that the phones have the necessary hardware and that the functionality will work in other countries. Google did not explain this announced decision Post on Pixel Support Forums (h/t to Android Police to discover this post). google she has It updated the latest US Pixels, the 6 and 6 Pro, with the C . band Via software updatebut not those old phones.
The post says that previous Pixel models “have C-band capable devices and have been enabled to run in certain countries” but that the company “has no plans to support C-band operation in the US” for earlier Pixel models.
This news, frankly, is the bummer. When my colleague Chris Welch Verizon C-band network testedIt was significantly faster than 4G LTE and most other 5G services offered by the company. While C-band is not as fast mmWaveIt has a larger scope, which makes it more applicable to more customers. Verizon and (And to a lesser extentAT&T is spending billions to make the C-band a large part of their 5G networks – and these relatively recent phones, seemingly arbitrary, can’t use them in the US. It’s especially annoying for the Pixel 5, a flagship phone that’s only a generation old It has already received FCC approval for use of the C . band.
(If you’re wondering about T-Mobile, its current 5G network doesn’t use the C band, though it plans to introduce some late next year. The company lovable pointing to this during the 5G disaster with the FAA, airlines and airlines.)
Google did not immediately respond to an email from the edge He asks why it will support C-band in some countries but not others. In its post, the company notes that the phones will still be able to use whatever Sub-6 and mmWave 5G capabilities they had at launch.
As always, this is a reminder not to buy something based on the features it might or might get in a future software update. in our area Pixel 5a review from 2021We mention that the phone’s lack of C band may be a flaw in the future but Google can add support for it if they want to. Unfortunately, that future appears to be very close for customers with phones like Google He is to support. But the company doesn’t seem interested in including US customers who don’t have the latest and greatest pixels.