Like Verizon, T-Mobile has also advised users to turn off 5G connectivity on their phones as a battery-saving tip.
Although T-Mobile’s marketing speaks of 5G, the operator’s support pages for the Samsung Galaxy S20 and S21 have pointed out the benefit of disabling 5G technology on a smartphone.
The support pages go so far as to say that a user can “Switch from 5G / LTE to 2G” as a battery saving tip. In other words, you must reduce your phone’s connectivity to the cellular technology originally launched three decades ago.
Support page for Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G (Credit: T-Mobile)
The advice is also quite explicit. In the case of Verizon, the operator only posted a tweet now deleted on Sunday that implied that disabling the 5G would prevent the battery from running out. The T-Mobile support pages simply tell you to disable the technology.
The message goes against T-Mobile’s marketing around 5G, which has been touted as a game changer for data speeds on phones. Christian Smith, the founder of cell phone consumer protection website CoverageCritic.com, noted the support and posted about them on Twitter to point out the hypocrisy.
T-Mobile did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the company has offered the same advice for 4G smartphones, including Apple iPhones. The tips also recommend that users can turn off the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS of the device, in addition to decreasing the brightness of the phone to conserve the battery. So, essentially, T-Mobile is telling users to turn off non-essential items to keep the phone running.
Samsung itself has also warned consumers that 5G can consume more power on a Galaxy smartphone. “You may notice that your phone’s battery drains faster than normal while you are connected to a 5G network. This is a limitation of current 5G networks and will be improved as the networks expand, ”wrote the company on a support page.